NU: Dark Lord Evolution
by 26-Lord-Pain
Summary: AU / Multi-Crossover. Yet another return to a familiar world, albeit a bit different this time, but as they say, evil is as evil does, and evil always finds a way...


**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing within save for my own ideas. All else belong to their respective owners, I don't know them all, and I claim no profit for this worthless piece of fanfiction I've written for the many fans literally demanding this story be brought to reality… that in mind, please direct all lawyers to said fans for disposal.

00

(Byron _**"The Black Baron"**_ Black…)

He was old now, yes… so very old now. Byron Black looked at his wrinkled practically ancient gnarled hands with a sigh. He then turned from his hands and looked at all he had built. His castle, his armor, his castle-heart, the minions, and smelters, and everything else he'd created in his life. Yet then and there he realized there was one thing he'd forgotten to create… an heir…

Byron Black sighed tiredly as he sat on his throne. He rubbed his face and briefly glanced across the room. Minions stood at attention, what little attention they had, his Jester paraded around stupidly, his minion master sat beside of him, feet dangling off the edge of one of the steps. Byron felt strangely scared for them, what would they do once he was actually gone? Who would command them…?

Byron wondered when things had gone so wrong in his life…

He recalled how his life started simply; he had been the eldest son of a blacksmith and took up his father's craft. His younger brothers, William and Lawrence Black, had no interest in their father's craft or trade. William had had his head filled with stories of gallant knights fighting dragons and saving princesses, while his youngest brother Lawrence was a bit of a skirt-chaser…

Byron had occasionally wondered how it was possible they were related. That is until his brother William discovered the power of Will. With that power William could command magic and using his magic he became a hero for the land of Albion, an Archon in time. Yet at the same time, Byron discovered the same power, and unlike his brother he tested and experimented with what he could create, rather than what he could destroy.

Eventually Byron feared what young William would do with such power. William had always been a passionate boy after all. Would he share such power with his siblings? No. Byron knew that was the only answer. He'd want it all to himself and all the glory to himself as he ran off 'saving people'. Byron wanted no part of it, and didn't want Lawrence caught in the crossfire and so took his brother as a squire and left.

They traveled by sea to a distant land, and once they touched down Byron proceeded to build his castle. As he did, people started to show up looking for protection from bandits and brigands. Byron had decided that it would be a good idea to have people nearby, if for no other reason then so his brother could maybe find a wife. That way the womanizer could finally settle down and make something of himself.

But Byron underestimated one thing when he agreed to protect the people who built their village outside of his castle… and that one thing was how bloody stupid they all were. Byron was used to stupidity, he'd previously lived in Albion after all, but these people were so stupid they couldn't even tie their own shoes! A majority of them didn't even have laces for their shoes or boots!

They had even named him 'The Black Baron' because one of them had confused his name 'Byron Black' as Baron Black! How they could be so stupid was beyond him! He'd tried to make schools so their children would grow to be smarter, but the children didn't pay attention and honestly did stupid things too. They went into the woods where wolves and wargs roamed and the people expected him to save them!

Ugh… he'd actually forgotten how annoying that had been.

Byron admitted he might've come off a bit short or hostile with them as a result, but he did always protect them. His brother benefited from it, and even took the name 'Duke Gromgard' after the castle. Byron didn't see why he was called Duke, he wasn't a royal and just chased skirts for the most part, but he also didn't care. He was too busy keeping the peasants, and they were definitely peasants, from getting themselves killed.

He also admitted that he wasn't a very patient ruler. He was a fierce potentially tyrannical leader, but no one ever said he didn't protect those under his charge. Yet even so he had continued on with his studies and creations. He'd built so many wondrous objects and studied so many fascinating magical occurrences… Ah, so that was what happened. He'd been so busy learning he'd forgotten to go out to find a wife for himself.

His brother had by some miracle found a woman willing to put up with him… three times actually. His first wife had been a pretty thing who bore him a son, then left him for some handsome jackass elf. The second wife was still pretty and young and bore him a daughter, who had then gone and run off with a barbarian into the desert. His latest wife was still young and pretty and bore him another son… she hadn't left… yet…

Byron groaned and rubbed his temples. Given his brother's experience with women he almost felt relieved that he hadn't had to put up with one himself. Although granted his brother's taste in woman was poor, preferring dumb and pretty to any real kind of substance. Still it didn't help with his current predicament. The realization that he had no heirs to carry on his work and protect his people.

But his brother did have three children…

Byron had gone out to eat with his brother for the first time in what felt like years. As he did he got to know his family. He wasn't all that impressed with his eldest nephew, a thin twig of a man with a strange fixation on elves. _'Must be genetic,'_ he internally remarked as he recalled that boy's mother. The girl wasn't much better, more dwarf than human if anything and not even as half as inventive, she was a brutish thug at best.

But then he saw the third son.

The boy was thin and quiet, but had a glow to his eyes that Byron knew all too well. There in the depths of his eyes was the glow of mana, the glow of someone who could command the powers of Will. However Will alone would not make him an heir, he wasn't so easy to please. But the boy was smart, a razor wit and clever beyond words. It was for those reasons that Byron knew that he'd found his next heir.

In his waning days he'd created a gauntlet, he'd given that gauntly a little magical power and then shut down his home, locking his sanctum while giving orders to his minion master to deliver the gauntlet to the young Sigmund on his sixteenth birthday. With all of that done Byron was able to enjoy his final few days. He died peacefully in his sleep and passed on, content in knowing his legacy would continue…

00

(Wizard _**"The Wizard"**_ Gromgard…)

He sat in the library of his brother's 'dark tower' with a content smile. His parents were off on a second honeymoon and decided to leave him with his older brother, Lord Gromgard, AKA Sigmund Black. He was happy to be there as his brother had the vastest collection of literature in all the land. He also had the healthiest amount of spell books in his collection, and of course a boy named Wizard was interested in magic.

That wasn't to say he didn't have grievances with his brother. His Minions for instance were inane little pests that liked to torment him. 'Wiz wiz the marvelous wiz, wherever he goes a wiz he is,' was but one of the many stupid things they liked to taunt him with. He could even admit that he'd sometimes considered frying the little pests with a little magic, his brother certainly wouldn't care, but he held himself to a certain standard.

That unfortunately meant he couldn't roast the annoying little trogs…

Then again what he found even more infuriating were his two elder siblings. Grenville was a pompous arse of a most unpleasant make. Wizard trained and studied and his elder brother constantly belittled his efforts. In his personal opinion, Wizard would never be as fine a spell caster as the elves so he might as well give up now and save himself from the utter humiliation of failure…

Then there was Gerda, the beast of a woman, short and stocky and looked more like a dwarf than any other human he knew. She was a nasty brute who tried to bully him into doing what she wanted because 'that's how things are done' as she so 'nicely' put it. When she wasn't being an evil hag she was hoping that he'd kill himself with his magic spells so she could be rid of him… Grenville had agreed.

Though unfortunately for them, his older brother Sigmung had not appreciated that at all. He'd essentially taken control of the kingdom while those two had been off with the elves and dwarves. When they came back out of boredom he'd been in power and set the two to task, IE back breaking labor as his personal slaves. Wizard… honestly didn't care. He hated those two as much as his brother did.

As for Sigmund himself he did have a little animosity for his older sibling. Though he wasn't as unpleasant as Gerda or Grenville, he was certainly not the best older brother the young wizard could wish for. He liked to tease him for his name, or the fact his hair was already turning white, or the fact he was a bit of a twig. But unlike the other two, Sigmund didn't make it cruel when he teased him.

"Wiz!" _'Speak of the devil,'_ Wizard thought with a frown. He glanced to the doors of the library to see his brother march in. He had an axe leaned against his shoulder and was dressed in his best armor. _'Hmmm. He has plans to go on another quest,'_ the wizard noted to himself. That was going to be a problem, whenever he was at the tower when Sigmund wanted to go on a quest it meant Sigmund would drag him with him…

That was yet another thing he disliked about Sigmund.

"C'mon get up! We're off to fend off some fiends," the Overlord declared. Wizard Gromgard frowned in response.

"What kind of fiends?" he questioned then looked to his books. "Are they imps? Iffrits maybe? A succubi or incubi?" he murmured as he looked to one book in particular. In the depths of the book were descriptions for the many demons and fiends of the Inferno…

"None of the above," Sigmund stated with a shake of his head, "we have a Ghoul infestation down in the dungeons," he admitted. Wizard blinked and then looked at his brother strangely.

"Why do we have ghouls in the dungeons?" he questioned. Sigmund blinked and sighed.

"Because I forgot to feed the prisoners last month and now their undying souls are haunting me seeking revenge or something," he admitted. Wizard pursed his lips and looked at his older brother with a frown. He then shook his head and started to look through the books for one on exorcisms.

"So why did you imprison them?" he questioned casually. To be perfectly honest he was used to his brother's oddities by this point. He was dark, potentially evil, but Wizard didn't really care. His brother could be as dark and evil as he wanted so long as he didn't bother him… it was only when Sigmund bothered him that The Wizard truly wanted his brother to die…

"They were the batch of idiot mages I caught trying to summon some dragon or other," he admitted with a shrug. Wizard paused his search to think back. His father occasionally got reports from Sigmund about what was going on in the kingdom. Though admittedly the elder man didn't care as long as he and his wife were left alone. He cared for Wizard as well, even called him his favorite son…

Which was probably because he looked the most like the man.

"Ah yes, the Void-Mages," he remarked after a moment of thought. Those were the morons he'd briefly trained with that wanted to summon a dragon from the void. Wizard internally recalled that his research into the specifics of that dragon had been quite worrying. An extremely magic resistant beast, which could eat most other dragons and breathed a miasmic cloud of corrosive acid, was certainly worrying anyway you put it.

"Yeah them, well they died but they didn't stay dead," Sigmund explained with a wave of his hand. Wizard hummed in response. He then found the book he'd been looking for and hopped from his seat to grab his staff.

"Right, lets be off then" he remarked. Sigmund laughed and slapped a hand against his brother's back. Wizard yelped and fell forward from the force of his 'playful' slap. In his youth Sigmund had been a slip of a boy, but in his prime the man was a fearsome sight to behold, all muscle and power. Wizard felt tiny next to his brother, and hated to admit that he envied his older brother's physical prowess… well sometimes.

He was so much better at magic than his brother that it honestly wasn't that much of a problem. While they both had access to magic, he had the far bigger pool of mana and the most spells. Sure his brother could lift huge axes and push boulders off of cliffs by himself, but he could hardly command some of the forces of magic and nature which Wiz had access too… like being able to fly for instance…

Wizard focused his magic and rose into the air to straighten himself after his impromptu fall. Sigmund just shook his head with an amused chuckle. "C'mon my wizardly wizard of a wizard, we have wizardy things to wiz upon!" Sigmund teased. Wizard shot his brother an annoyed glare. However the man laughed it off and made his way from the library. For a moment Wizard sniffed and glared at his sibling heatedly.

There were times where he wondered if he and his brother should be at war. He'd wanted to kill his older brother on occasion, if only because of how annoying he was. The names and way he liked to tease him was infuriating on a level that his elder siblings simply couldn't match. Regardless, Wizard did respect and admire his older brother so ignored his irritation of the man…

But he also admitted that times changed people, and someday he might change his mind…

00

(Sigmund " _ **The Overlord**_ " Black / Aeon " _ **The Dungeon Lord**_ " Black…)

The Overlord sat on his throne. One hand was raised in a fist against his cheek. His glowing red eyes narrowed in irritation. He was having troubles with the legacy of his empire. It was, for the moment, peaceful but he doubted that would last. Heroes were beginning to pop out of the woodworks. All of those heroes were gunning for his head. All of those heroes had, thus far, been child's play to deal with.

It would not last, he knew that much. Either he would grow old and decrepit and be defeated that way. Or some stupid 'chosen one' would end up getting lucky. Or one of his children would kill him and usurp the throne. He wasn't fool enough to doubt such an occurrence. He wasn't immortal. He didn't have a longer than average lifespan. His glory days were far from over true, but he knew that they would come to an end soon enough.

Though admittedly his sons were both oddly disappointing.

The first and oldest constantly had his head buried in books. He lacked any true drive for evil and domination. He lacked any kind of killing intent an Overlord needed. He lacked the raw physical prowess that he would need to surpass him. In terms of his mental fortitude and magical ability, well he had long surpassed his father in that. But that was pointless if he had no desire to use that prowess.

While his second and youngest son was brash and quick to violence. He lacked subtlety and finesse. He was quick and prone to violence. He didn't lack for ambition, unlike his brother, but it was pointless if he was going to barrel through everything like a bull. He also had a lack of magical ability, only utilizing a single element. He also lacked any kind of tactical bearing, often deferring his opinion to Gnarl.

It was safe true, but The Overlord didn't trust Gnarl.

Gnarl was an advisor of sorts, Minion Master maybe, but he was also very crafty. He tried to act as if he were easily controlled. He tried to act as if he were like every other Minion. But the truth was that he was independent and that made him dangerous. The other minions were easily controlled. They were all stupid, weak, and only dangerous in a large group.

Gnarl was dangerous for his mind.

The Overlord grunted and felt something prickle at his mind. Gnarl was trying to tell him something. He hated it when Gnarl wanted to talk to him. Typically if he wasn't bowing and scraping his true nature shined through. He was a calculative and manipulative little bastard. He wanted the power of the Overlord, and to rule in his place. But he also knew the Minions wouldn't truly obey him.

In short, he needed a patsy to play the part of pseudo Overlord.

The First Overlord let out a grunt and allowed Gnarl to speak to him. ( _Master, it seems young Aeon is up to something in the dungeons,_ ) the scratchy voice of Gnarl reported. The First Overlord let out a noncommittal grunt. He rose up to his feet and marched over to his weapons. He grabbed his axe and leaned it over his shoulders as he walked to the entrance to the dungeons.

The Overlord wandered through the dungeons before he noticed something odd. There was a hole in a nearby wall that drew his attention. He looked inside and then wandered into its depths. He cut off all links to Gnarl; he didn't want the little trog's help. He also didn't want the little trog getting into his business. Whatever his son was up too wasn't any of his… concern?

He stopped and took a moment to truly appreciate what he saw before him.

It was a formation of rock and crystal that pulsated and beat like a heart. More crystals swirled around the outside of it, and an odd formation of white 'crystal' formed around it almost like a skeletons ribcage. He could feel the power coming from the artifact, it was a dark sinister power but it filled him with intrigue. Who, who had built this? Certainly not his eldest son, the one who was so…

The First Overlord appreciated the strange artifact, then halted and turned. There stood an armored being, glowing blue eyes hidden behind a horned helmet. Staff in hand, armor gleaming, and a red cloth and chain attached to a book at his side. He knew instantly that this was his first and oldest. This was his son Aeon Black. Yet strangely it felt as if he were truly seeing his son for the first time.

No words were spoken between them. They didn't need words. His youngest needed words because he was a bloody idiot. He charged in like a Minotaur with little thought for what he was doing. But his oldest son was smart, and obviously he was also far more capable and cunning than he'd ever assumed. He and his son stood opposite one another. Armored overlord to armored… well, he'd think of a name.

He knew from the way his son watched him that he was cautious. He knew from the way he held his staff that he was prepared to attack. He knew from the glow in his eyes that his magic had grown stronger. He knew just by looking at his armor that he had forged it himself; no Minion had touched that suit of steel. His final observation was that his son wasn't strong, but that he was enhancing his body with magic.

In short his son was far far more competent and worthy than he'd expected.

His son had been observing him as well. The First felt oddly proud as his son slammed the butt of his staff in the ground. He grinned as a horde of skeletons rose up out of the ground. They took up defensive positions around his first-born. A Horde of Goblins appeared next and took up positions behind Aeon. The First Overlord felt no small sense of pride as realization suddenly struck him.

His first son was not without ambition. His first son merely didn't wish to exist in the shadow of his Father's title and deeds. Why be an Overlord when he could have his own empire? An empire built by his own two hands. The First Overlord could not feel any more proud of his son if he tried. He looked at the 'Heart' that his first son created for a moment. He then turned back to Aeon and gave a silent nod of his head.

Aeon merely raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The Goblins and Skeletons moved passed the first Overlord to the Heart. They quickly picked it up and rushed to a cart to deposit it down and push it away. Aeon regarded his father for a moment, and then walked away to follow his minions. The First Overlord watched him leave and then finally spoke for what felt like the first time in years.

" **Take care and grow strong my son, the first of many Dark Lords,"** he ordered in a low growl. Aeon didn't bother to halt, merely continued after his servants into the darkness. The First Overlord walked away and returned to his home. The Dark Tower was built for his rule; it was a true place of evil and darkness. He knew that he would die here. He also knew that only one of his children would take up his mantle as 'Overlord'.

However, now he also knew a new title would be born of his line. So though he felt that the 'Overlord' line might grow weak and dull due to Gnarl. He knew that the Dark Lords would more than pick up the slack. So as he saw a massive horde of minions, Gnarl, and his youngest son dressed in obsidian armor standing opposite him with a war-ax in hand. The First Overlord felt no fear of what may befall him, after all…

Besides he had ways to ensure his survival long after this encounter, even if his body died his spirit would endure. So as his son ran forward with axe in hand he grinned nastily beneath his helmet, his eyes gleaming like red rubies, he knew he had absolutely nothing to fear. It was as they say: Evil is as evil does, and evil always finds a way…

00

(William " _ **The Dragon Lord**_ " Black…)

He was born to a mortal woman, a cleric trained in the magical arts of healing. His father had been a no-account vagrant who left his mother pregnant and ran off to the spirits only knew where. Eventually she'd married a merchant by the name of Bran, a fat beast of a man who thought he knew better than everyone else. She'd bore the man a baby girl, his sister, who was taken to train at the Mage College at twelve.

Will was not so lucky, he had magic but he had no talent for actual spell casting. He could enchant and create runes however with a proficiency unseen by many. Yet all that talent afforded him was a position as a blacksmith's apprentice. He actually hadn't minded all that much. He had enjoyed his simple little mortal life. Then everything changed, and his life was never quite the same.

To think it all started when he found a simple little book.

He'd found it lying in his room as innoxiously as if it were simply meant to be there. A small little thing with a cover black as pitch with a design of a silver dragon formed into a lock, a monocle hung from one side by a thin silver chain and a purple ribbon was used to bookmark a page. He had never seen the book before, didn't know where it had come from, nor did he really care, he'd taken the book and that was the start of the changes.

The rest had happened like a whirlwind, one event quickly following the next with no real pattern leaving him dazed and confused. He'd been accused of a crime he hadn't committed by his stepfather because of a she-thief he'd met earlier that day. He escaped his jail cell and fled into the nearby woods. He'd been hunted by wolves and wargs and chased into a ravine. Then he died… only to come back, as something _**more**_.

He had always been simple at heart; he loved the simple little pleasures of life. Even in his new life he hadn't cared for gold or riches. No. What ultimately led to his ascendance to the rank of Dark Lord, were the companions he made. A once studious mage turned powerful Necromancer. A witty little thief turned undead rogue. A once peaceful shamaness turned dark conjurer. A once paladin turned barbarous black knight.

Others had also joined, such as the Wood Elf turned berserker werewolf. His sister the mage turned powerful sorceress. Like his sister's fiancé, who was a notable paladin without fear… and loved to kill zombies. Or like the young cleric he'd saved from a group of bandits when he was on a simple little walk. Or even the living scarecrow, which had led him to its mistress, the shamaness turned conjurer.

He had joined all of them, though not all at once. After his rebirth the powers of the book were fully revealed to him. Not only did it chronicle his story, it also allowed him to bend time to his whims and rewrite history. He'd done so numerous times. The power of the book had allowed him to see what could be with but a single change. He had had so many different adventures with that book…

That is, until he realized the folly of such power.

In the end, he chose to become friends with the dark beings, because he knew their stories and why they had become so dark. The Necromancer, who in life was a studious mage, had gone down that dark path out of pure loneliness. The Shamaness had lost her way after her people ripped apart the forest she once called home. The Black Knight had been disgusted by the paladin order as they summoned demons just to kill them…

Then of course there was the wily little thief, who he often thought to be the direct cause of all of his troubles and yet who he also eventually took as his bride. Together with the rest of his allies he ventured across the land and restored the dark races to glory. He built a world for them, beneath the feet of the light and away from their glares. The Dark Races became his friends and he their lord… their Dark Lord.

He could recall how heroes came for him and his allies. But he had built a kingdom in the dark, and his subjects were willing to fight for his survival. He didn't allow them too. Instead he led the heroes into the depths and battled them without fear. For in those dark places beneath the ground above, he had learned ancient forgotten secrets. He'd learned how he'd survived that first fall, and what he truly was.

In ancient times there were many Dragons, all of which roamed the lands and the skies and seas, until mortal men hunted them into near extinction. Only one true dragon, a true immortal dragon, remained now. It had no name, but watched the world from its place in the dark void between worlds. The Abyss Dragon it was called, the watcher in the dark.

There in the void it watched and it waited all alone. In a realm of eternal and infinite darkness where it could build anything it wanted. And yet as it watched the mortal world it grew envious of what it saw there. In that world, the dragon saw true meaning to every action. Unlike it, mortals lived and died for reasons, they learned and built for reasons, and so it questioned… why did it exist? Why did it watch them? What was its purpose?

Yet never an answer came…

And so instead it grew envious of the little mortals who had reasons to live and exist and grow and learn and build. It wanted a reason to exist but it couldn't think of one for itself and so instead it decided to find one among those mortals. And so it gave up its great power and became a mere mortal babe. Yet even so, the blood of the dragon would linger, just waiting to awaken once more.

William Black had been that babe, he'd awakened his power, his memories had been restored, and he'd found his purpose in this world. And so even as his vision faded and he died in the depths of his tower, watched silently as some of the heroes looted his home, he wondered how his children would live and grow without him. But also, he was curious what the next dark lord to awaken their dragon's blood would do with that great power.

That single thought lingered in the depths of his mind, as an explosion of highly corrosive miasma surged outwards from his body and turned everything in and around his home to rubble, slag, and ash… and left only his body, a rag and armor garbed skeleton knelt on the ground…

00

(Noble " _ **The Betrayer**_ " Fairchild…)

He was once known as Noble Black, the irony of his name given his family wasn't lost on him either. Though he'd lost that name to his own foolishness. He could remember when his father died, and when his older sister was named his successor. Noble had been furious, furious that she had been chosen rather than him. He was not only a male, but also a powerful mage, and he was smarter than her too.

Janet was blunt, she was brutish, a pugilist if ever there was one. Noble had believed that she would ruin their father's empire so of course sought to depose her. He'd set it up that she was lost at sea, lost and never to be found. He'd 'reluctantly' taken over in her steed, he'd played the part of the distraught little brother, all a ruse of course, and he'd lived in the lap of luxury and banished the abominable species of his father's rule.

He'd been a bloody idiot…

His sister wasn't a mage but she was tenacious and she did know some magic. She also wasn't a total idiot so had actually expected his little betrayal. Apparently she was more surprised it had taken him so long to do anything. Not to mention she had managed to find a continent to rest up on, conquered a legion of desert warrior women and forced them to take her to an ancient demon to change her into a monstrous new being.

So with all that at her disposal of course she'd survived his little assassination attempt and returned changed. No longer wholly human, she better resembled one of the dark creatures he'd banished from their kingdom. She hadn't needed such power to stop him; instead she slipped into his bedchambers one night and stripped him of his magic in his sleep. And without his magic he was powerless and terrified of what the girl would do to him.

Surprisingly, she showed him mercy… or what counted as mercy in their family.

His name was stricken from the family, he was forever branded with the title 'Betrayer' visible to any with the sense to notice, and he was banished from the kingdom never to return even on pain of death. Noble hadn't known where to go when he was banished, he hadn't known what to do either. He'd been without magic, and for the first time his good looks and 'intelligence' afforded him nothing.

It had been exactly what he'd needed in the end. His father had been too soft on him, as had his mother. They had never punished him for anything in his entire life and so he had grown into a simpering brat. But his sister had always been the one who challenged him and got mad when he did stupid things. As the brat he was he'd always thought he was better than her, but when she banished him he was forced to realize the truth.

He was weak and useless without his magic, his good looks were worthless outside of the kingdom, and he wasn't so smart that he could talk his way into a warm bed without coin. He was out of his element in such a hostile environment. He likely would've died in a scant few months, had not that knight saved him. He was taken on as a squire and taught the ways of the blade and honor.

Honestly he'd only half paid attention to the honor bit; he was more interested in the blade. Without his magic he was very very vulnerable and he didn't like that. Needless to say that Knight managed to beat the brattiness out of him quick. Eventually as Noble learned from the man he even came to respect his strength. He also came to take the man's name when he adopted him into his family.

Thus it was that Noble Fairchild was officially born.

He'd turned his back on all he had once been. He spat on the memory of the spoilt brat of a child that had clearly been too big for his breeches. He fully embraced the new life given to him by his adopted father and learned the ways of the sword. He'd learned tactics and strategy, though admittedly they were quite basic, and of course he'd learned to ride as well as to take care of his weapons, armor, and horse.

His life as a Fairchild had been different from the life as a Black. He'd gone off as an adventurer at first and quickly discovered how much chaos that entailed. It seemed like when you weren't being ordered around by random villagers then random monsters or demons or necromancers were attacking randomly. Noble honestly felt a bit of sympathy for the heroes who'd often attacked his father, they'd apparently been through hell.

But then he met the Wizard and his little band. The man had been on a quest to defeat the current Overlord at the time. It had been by sheer chance that Sigmund had realized the man was, in fact, Wizard Gromgard, the younger sibling of his ancestor Sigmond Black, the First Overlord. He'd wanted to speak to him of their family… but had hesitated…

He'd felt something was wrong with the man, something he couldn't quite name…

Regardless, Noble joined up with that little band and helped them battle the Overlord and his forces. As he did and he saw the Overlords power Noble had started to recall his former life as a Black. Not the brat he once was, but the powerful ruler and lord his father had been, the mighty warrior his sister grew to be, and both the menace as well as the grand kingdoms that his ancestors had built…

He had ignored it all for so long, he concentrated on fighting the Overlord and ignored the blood screaming in his veins to take that power for his own. He remembered that final battle; he remembered how badly he'd wanted to take the power. He remembered how he had lunged at the Overlord and tossed them both from the side of his tower. He remembered how they were both dashed to the stones below…

Then… Noble woke up and was reborn once more!

The Minions, tiny annoying little trogs that they were, had carried his broken body into the depths of their Dark Tower. There they had sealed him within a sarcophagus and allowed the dark powers of the tower to surround and fill him. To be perfectly honest however, he'd found it all rather _**lacking**_. It was nothing compared to the power of his family, but it was enough for him to embrace his true heritage once more!

Noble had once forgotten those things, but as he battled the Overlord, it was as if the blood of conquerors roared to life within his veins. Once more he desired power, once more he desired to rule, but not a kingdom taken from his sister, but built by his own hand! He would no longer live in the shadow of his sister or his father or his ancestors! He would prove he was still a Black, and no one would take that from him!

No longer 'Noble Fairchild' and yet also no longer 'Noble Black'. He was neither the petulant child nor the gallant adventurer. He became The Overlord, not a Overlord, but THE Overlord! He became the pinnacle of all Overlords prior, he conquered the lands, he conquered the Infernal Abyss, he conquered mortals and even gods! He was The Overlord and he would reign supreme!

Or so he had thought…

Instead he was trapped in that Infernal Abyss for so long. Locked away with only the Wraiths to aide him. It took so long, so very very long, to find a way out of that cold dark realm. But finally, he succeeded. He escaped from that Abyss back to the realm of men and marched forward to conquer once more. He found waiting for him, that annoying trog Gnarl, and… his son. The New Overlord…

But Noble would not give up his title his lands or his power so easily!

00

(Johannes _**'The Traitor'**_ Black)

He had been a loyal son once, but as the eldest that only made sense. Certainly he quarreled with his siblings but they were still family. His mother was cold, but never cruel to him. Yet it was the actions of the King, his very father, which had always struck him as strange. The man seemed to look at him, not with coldness, but with fear. It was that fear that had always made Johannes curious about what the man was thinking.

As the years went by, Johannes tried to prove himself to his father in many ways. He grew into a great swordsman, a Knight of renown, and of course a charismatic young royal… yet still the king looked at him with such a fearful gaze, as if expecting something sinister to come from him. Sometimes he saw the king become more distant, and of course Johannes struggled ever more to earn his affections.

He'd been such an idiot back then… really he had…

As time wore on Johannes grew more and more desperate, so when an assassin attacked and injured his father gravely, and the king sent his children to seek a cure in Castle Hamson, of course he rushed to find it. It was, of course, nothing more than a cruel trick by the man in the hopes of earning immortality. For within that castle was what he believed to be the fabled and storied 'Fountain of Youth'…

It wasn't, oh no, Johannes knew the truth. He'd known that something was wrong when he spotted his 'father' approaching the dais where the fountain rested, golden goblet clutched in his hand. He knew that it meant the man sought out immortality and thus to rob him and his siblings of any chance to ascend to the throne. As he had entered the castle it likely meant that Charon had emptied the royal coffers…

But who would take the blame? Of course it would be Johannes, the eldest son that the man had never truly cared for. Who would doubt that he would rob his father in his time of weakness, due to his years of neglect? No one… it was the perfect way for the king to get what he wanted, and blame it all on his unwanted son. Yet what Johannes had found in the castle library… it shed light on a much darker truth.

Of course his father wouldn't anticipate his son would find the library. Worse still, the man had never thought that his son would locate the journal of the previous lord and lady who lived there. That he would discover decades old secrets that the man had desperately tried to burry. That he would discover that his so-called father was a villain, a cruel, vain, greedy tyrant with no sympathy for anyone else.

What did he mean? Well…

Johannes was not the king's son. Which explained why he'd always been so distant. It was because he was not of his blood. Johannes was in truth Johannes Hamson, and the Hamson line were merely another name for the Black Family. They were lords and ladies, and they had built Castle Hamson as a fortress. A fortress that was never the same twice for the common people, yet that the family could easily navigate through.

Heroes had, for centuries, tried to kill them and steal their secrets and treasure.

Khiter.

Alexander.

Ponce De'leon.

Herodotus.

They had been four great heroes from across the ages that his family had 'allowed' to reach and then drink from their so-called 'fountain of youth'. Johannes knew the truth of it though, that the fountains dark powers were only truly useable by one of their blood. It was why those heroes had become monsters, yet Johannes hadn't wanted his so-called father to have even that kind of power.

As the man died at his feet, looking at him in the same fear he'd seen in his eyes since his childhood Johannes stabbed his blade down into him and clenched his fists over the handle of his blade. It was done… the man who murdered his parents and stole him from them was dead. The eldest son of the king was also dead; instead all that remained was a broken shell of a man with nowhere left to go.

As he looked at the fountain Johannes felt it call to him and so picked up the goblet his so-called father had dropped. He swiftly dipped the cup into the waters and sipped them, only for his body to spasm. He fell forward and grasped the edge of the fountain; his eyes seemed to blaze bright blue. Dark wisps of magic began to seep out of every pore of his body and his muscles expanded while horns started to grow on his head… only to recede a moment later.

Johannes saw the changes in the water and stepped back with a gasp. He raised his hands in fright and then gulped and bit back his fear. He was the son of the Dark Lord and Dark Lady of this age; he was the next Dark Lord. He knew that it was his destiny, not to be a simple swordsmen or a great savior, but to be something more, something greater than any of the peons across the world.

Johannes looked to his hands and then down at his armor. It felt… wrong on him now… too bright, too clean… he snapped his fingers and it changed. The once gleaming steel turned a deep dull black, the cape he wore turned black as well, as did the blade of his great sword. The helmet he wore also changed, now with a black tail of 'hair' and a grilled visor, which he then lowered to cover his face.

And in that instant, Johannes Black was reborn… this time as something… more!

00

(Mathias " _ **The Nether-Lord**_ " Fairchild…)

Back when he was a boy and one thought 'Overlord' only two names ever came to mind, Sigmund Black and Noble Fairchild. This was… only because the other Overlord's names weren't actually all that well known. In fact outside of them, no one really knew who the other Overlord's had been. Regardless, Mathias had had quite the shadow to pull himself out of when he started out as an Overlord.

Sigmund Black was the puppet master, a cunning charming charismatic man with magic in spades.

Noble Fairchild on the other hand, had been a quiet yet brutal Overlord, using his brawn to beat down everything in his path.

Mathias… was neither, and yet both. His magic was impressive to say the very least, but nowhere near as potent and diverse as that of Sigmund. His brawn and brute strength was inhuman, but was also somehow less than that of Noble. The only thing he could say he was better at than any of his predecessors was controlling the minions and of course his control of the peasants beneath him.

Unlike the Puppet Master, he wasn't a charismatic person so he had to brute force his control. He did so with the Evil Presence spell he focused into a beam, which then corrupted the mind and will of others and forced them to do his bidding. He'd gained followers and even a mistress by using the spell to full effect. Also unlike the previous Overlords, Mathias admitted he was… 'More interested' in the fairer sex than was strictly necessary.

Which is why he had taken three mistresses rather than just one.

His conquest began in the frozen north, in his hometown of Nordberg, and it was there that he took his childhood friend, Kelda, as his first mistress. He'd then gone from place to place, from Everlight Isle, to the Sanctuary of the Light, the plague lands of the former Overlord's kingdom, and even the capital of the Glorious Empire. All had fallen to him and he'd gotten three mistresses, a kingdom, and thousands of slaves out of the deal.

Mathias admitted that he loved his place as Overlord, and that he loved to crush anything that got in his way! He loved to march forward and lead his minions into battle, and he loved coming home to his many mistresses for 'fun'. Mathias also loved going to the many places around his kingdom, the now conquered 'glorious empire', and then ruthlessly beating down any rebellions that cropped up.

Then things took a turn for the worst when those portals opened up. They were scattered across the land and lead to a terrible realm known only as 'The Infernal Abyss'. From those portals came a plethora of creatures known as 'Wraiths' and at their head a figure in armor as dark as midnight. That same figure had come forward to challenge Mathias for the title of Overlord. Well, he wasn't going to give it up without a fight!

Gnarl had helped him of course but it was all for naught; they had been systematically attacked by the wraiths all across the map. It got so bad that Mathias was forced to pull many of his forces back to the Netherworld and move slaves to places where they could hide. It had paid off but somehow the former Overlord, The Betrayer, had found a way into the Netherworld. As such Mathias prepared to fight for his title…

"Are ye sure about dis?" Kelda questioned. If one looked they'd almost assuredly notice the bump at her stomach. She was quite obviously pregnant, though not quite 'gravid' yet but still quite a long ways into her pregnancy. Mathias was honestly happy about that, or well… actually he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He loved Kelda, but sometimes she did kind of annoy him… meh…

"I'll be fine, and even if I'm not the Minions will keep you and our child safe," he replied dismissively. The previous Overlord was powerful, sure, but Mathias had quite a lot more to deal with and a lot more tricks up his sleeve. Kelda looked at him with a frown.

"I certainly hope so, if not I'll hunt down ye'r ghost and punch it in the bullocks," she threatened. Well it wasn't a threat, it was actually a promise, unlike his other mistresses when Kelda threatened bodily harm it wasn't a threat so much as a promise. Maybe that was what he liked so much about her… well that and when she… "Are ye paying attention?" the redhead demanded. Mathias shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"You're worrying for nothing Kelda," he assured her. He paused as the sound of an explosion rocked the Nether Tower. A frown crossed his lips and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Now go," he ordered. The redhead scowled for a moment and then turned with a huff and stalked away. As she did Mathias raised his sword to lean it against his shoulder. For once he wished he could be confident in his words…

He marched into his throne room and inhaled through his nose as a figure rode up on one of the platforms of the Netherworld to his throne room. The figure was tall but slimmer than Mathias, and he dressed in obsidian armor with a horned vaguely crown shaped helmet, his eyes were a bright bloody red, a war axe is clutched in a clawed hand, and he wore a crimson scarf around his neck and shoulders with crimson chainmale hanging from the armor like a loincloth.

Mathias cracked his neck and readied his blade for battle while the previous Overlord raised his hand. Several Wraiths formed out of nothing and surged forward. Mathias raised his own hand to summon a legion of Minions, which he then sent in to battle the Wraiths. As their servants fought Mathias lunged forward and swung his sword at the previous Overlord with a roar.

The man sidestepped the blow. The previous Overlord, Noble Fairchild narrowed his eyes as he examined this new Overlord. This was apparently his 'son' although he could feel no kinship to the boy. Truth be told he was Rose's son, as he'd captured the woman and then impregnated her because his mistress, Velvet, thought it'd be funny… and she honestly hadn't wanted to put up with the 'joys of childbirth'.

Spirits he missed that woman!

She hadn't been half as bossy as her bitch of a sister Rose, she also hadn't been obsessed with order, or complained about the women he brought home, she actually wanted a turn with them, and then there was her enjoyment of torture, both giving and receiving, as it turned out she was something of a 'sadomasochist'. Noble honestly missed her… then recalled he had control of the infernal abyss…

' _Wait a minute, if she's dead, and I can only assume she is if Rose is still alive, then I can probably resurrect her as a succubus,'_ he admitted to himself. He also really hoped his grin wasn't visible. Why hadn't he thought of that sooner? Huh… well that would certainly make things a lot more pleasant for him when he was done with the whelp. His nights would most definitely be a lot more pleasant anyways!

He paused his thoughts and grabbed the 'boys' sword as it came at his head. He glanced from it to the boy himself and internally frowned. The boy was a tall behemoth of a man, broad shouldered, with eerie blue skin with white circular designs all across it and glowing luminescent yellow eyes. He also wore a horned helmet, while his armor was accompanied by furred cloth, and gave the 'boy' a barbarous look if nothing else.

Spirits what had Rose and Gnarl done to the poor kid? He was of Black blood but looked less like a Dark Lord or even an Overlord and more like some kind of bloody barbarian. Had those two stunted his mental and magical development or something? Also what was with his skin? Noble had half a mind to ignore the boy and go beat some answers out of Gnarl instead.

But of course the boy wanted his attention, what with the whole 'not wanting to give up his title' thing… ugh… kids…

He tossed Mathias's sword to the side and kicked the behemoth back. Mathias ducked into a roll and then landed in a crouch as he glared at the previous Overlord. Noble internally wondered what he'd do next then ducked under a swing of his sword and then swung his axe arm upwards. Mathias backed up to avoid the head of his axe and then threw some dust at his face.

Noble grunted and raised a hand to his eyes.

"Cheap," he grunted. Mathias chuckled.

"Who cares as long as I win!" he crowed and rammed into Noble. Noble himself internally chuckled in agreement. Well at least the new blood had the right mindset for being Overlord. However as he was knocked to the ground he reached up to stop Mathias from stabbing him with his sword. He then grinned and superheated the blade with fire magic. Mathias gasped and released his sword and backed away with wide eyes.

As he did Noble chuckled and kicked his feet out from under him. _'That's what you get for not wearing any fucking gloves punk,'_ the elder Overlord thought with an amused smirk to himself. People could tell him his clawed gauntlets were silly if they wanted too, but honestly, they were stupid. Magic could do more than just be used in a few set spells and he knew exactly how to use it again!

His time in the Infernal Abyss had allowed him to focus on the magic he'd gained from his time as Overlord. That had also granted him access to his original powers; his magic was now fully restored! Noble was no longer 'Noble Fairchild' he was once more 'Noble Black' in his mind and in his soul. As such he was no longer the 'blunt and brutal' Overlord he'd been, but the all-powerful Dark Lord he was always meant to be!

"Your impressive kid," Noble admitted as he got back up and dropped his axe. Mathias looked at him strangely when he did, only for his eyes to bolt open as Noble formed flames across his entire body. **"But I'm in another league entirely!"** he roared and then lunged at the young Overlord. Mathias was unable to do anything as Noble grabbed him and then surged forward, the very earth beneath their feet vaulting them across the room.

' _What in the inferno is this!?'_ Mathias internally demanded as he was slammed into and then through a heavy stone pillar. He looked back with wide eyes as they fell from the Nether Tower and towards the ground below. He turned from the sight and then grabbed at Noble and slammed a fist across his face. Noble grunted and then grabbed Mathias by his shoulders and head butted him in the face.

Mathias grunted as he and Noble were knocked back from one another. The larger man spun in the air while Noble chuckled and controlled the wind and caused it to slow his descent. However Mathias growled and then swung his arm upwards, a bolt of lightning shot forward and wrapped around a surprised Noble. Mathias then used the bolt to pull himself up and grabbed onto the previous Overlord and slam a fist into his face.

"You know, between me and that other Overlord you killed, you must really love to throw people off of towers!" he snarled as he slammed his fist into Noble's face again and again, "Huh old man!" he growled as Noble grabbed his fist before it could connect to his face and glared at him heatedly. He was starting to get sick of this fucking kid of Rose's, and he was most definitely Rose's kid with how mouthy he was!

" **Shut up!"** he roared as he kneed the larger man in the stomach. Mathias gave a grunt of pain while Noble grabbed his shoulders and slammed an armored fist into his face. The two continued to punch and kick at one another as they fell, until they realized the ground was getting closer… and that it was a lot sharper and hotter than either of them was comfortable with…

"OH **SHIT**!" they both yelled. They then punched one another yet again while Noble formed a sphere of wind around them. He didn't have time to make it too small for the boy so he could just be done with this but he'd deal with it when they hit the ground. That was literal as well when they slammed into the ground. His magic went to work throwing them both away from one another while preventing them from 'splatting' on the ground.

Mathias gritted his teeth as he landed on a stalactite… or was it a stalagmite? Either way it fucking hurt! He hissed as he pushed his body off of the sharp rock and then looked up to where Noble landed. Said man groaned as he got slowly rose up and placed a hand to his head. _'Alright, no more throwing myself and others off of towers,'_ he decided resolutely. It honestly wasn't worth the potential of getting himself killed… again…

"Minions!" Noble heard and looked up to see Mathias was already up, and had conjured a cadre of different minions. "Attack!" he roared and the minions surged at him. _'Crap,'_ he thought as the tiny trogs leaped onto him. He grunted as the greens stabbed, the reds tried to burn, the blues… bubbled… and the browns tried to club or slash him to death. He eventually batted a few of them off and then grabbed a brown… only to pause.

" **Gubben?"** he questioned. The minion ceased its struggles and looked at him in surprise.

"Master?" it questioned. He blinked then nodded.

" **Yeah… sorry about this,"** he apologized in advance, **"but not really,"** he admitted as he tossed the brown away and into the distance.

"No probleeeeemmmmm!" the brown exclaimed as he flew into the distance. Noble smirked as he did and then started to bat more of the minions off of himself. It was nice to see that at least the Minions hadn't changed. They were still the little balls of insanity he remembered. Ah, it was nice to find some normalcy in this new world. Still he batted the last of the minions off of himself and summoned a horde of wraiths.

" **Forward!"** he ordered and the Wraiths obeyed without question. One good thing about the wraiths was they didn't talk or go crazy. Sure it was a lot less interesting to watch them work but they did get things done faster than the Minions ever did. Mathias on the other hand growled as he summoned a wall of minions to stop the wraiths. He then grabbed one of the minions and started to shake it wildly.

"Have some of this!" he crowed as he tossed the minion at the wraiths and it exploded while also destroying several of them. _'Okay… that's new,'_ Noble noted withy clear surprise, then narrowed his eyes furiously, _'why the fuck couldn't I do that?!'_ he inwardly demanded. Seriously! It didn't even look like it was all that difficult! He shook his head of such thoughts as Mathias started to grab up minions, shake and hurl them at him.

' _Shit,'_ Noble thought and then started to run from the explosive minions as they rained down on him. He ducked and dodged the explosive minions, and really why couldn't he do that? _'Fucking Gnarl was holding out on me!'_ he decided with an internal scowl. He'd make sure to put that trog to heel after he dealt with the new kid. Until then he decided that the kid summoning minions was annoying and needed to stop.

' _So lets get this over with!'_ he thought as he lunged at the young Overlord. He avoided several more explosive minions and summoned several wraiths to protect him from the others then leaped onto the young man. He slammed a fist into his helmeted face and then ripped his left gauntlet from his arm. He then swiftly tossed the gauntlet into the distance and ducked away as the behemoth tried to grab him.

However Mathias managed to get a hold of his leg and drabbed him into the dirt. He then placed a knee on his back as he ripped off his left gauntlet and tossed it away as well. "Now we're even," he growled. Noble snarled and then slammed a fist into the ground. His magic surged and caused a mini-quake, which knocked Mathias off balance. Noble pulled forward and got back to his feet while Mathias steadied himself.

The two Overlords glared at one another heatedly and Mathias cracked his neck. Noble scowled as he formed flames across his arms and the two lunged forward with equal roars. The two lashed out with fists and feet and beat on one another till both of them were bloody and bruised beneath their dented damaged armor. Mathias body began to glow as he used the 'evil presence' spell and grabbed hold of Noble's helmeted head.

"You like Magic so much," the young Overlord gritted out, "Try this on for size!" he snarled. However Noble just laughed in response and punched Mathias' wounded side. The man grunted and nearly fell forward, then looked at Noble in surprise. Noble himself grinned within his helmet and shook his head. Had the boy really thought a spell like that would affect a true Overlord? Let alone the descendent of the Dark Lords!

" **Kid… that spell is fucking weak,"** he growled and grabbed Mathias' helmet, **"Let me show you some** _ **real**_ **power!"** he snarled. Mathias then gave a cry as his mind was invaded by visions of death and darkness that would never end. A realm of decay and torment from which there was no escape only submission. Mathias fell to his knees as Noble continued to pound into him with his spell.

However at the last moment Mathias slammed a fist across Noble's face. The man stumbled back in a daze while Mathias shook his head and then sternly glared at the older Overlord. _'There's no way to win,'_ he realized and closed his eyes. _'Heh… guess I was too cocky this time,'_ he inwardly admitted as he got back to his feet. _'At least if I played fair,'_ he admitted and then lunged at Noble and grabbed him in a hold.

Noble struggled in his grip and then glared back at the younger man furiously.

" **What are you doing?"** he demanded. Mathias chuckled darkly.

"Winning even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming into the Infernal Abyss to do it!" he snarled and focused on the magic within his body. He'd become a Minion several times in his life; he knew how to make minions explode. So lets see if he could make himself explode and take this old bastard with him! Noble's eyes widened in realization as Mathias body began to glow… and then an explosion left everything around them in ruins.

All was quiet at first, nary a sound made by anyone or anything, until finally a hand raised out of the rubble. Several wraiths appeared soon after, glowing green energy seeped from them into the rubble as Noble's body rose up. He was worse for wear with several holes in his armor. But what was most telling of his state were the huge chunks of flesh missing from his body and eerie green glow of his eyes.

Noble grunted as his wraiths helped him to his feet and then looked back to where his son had been. _'Fool,'_ he thought and narrowed his eyes. _'You don't run in head first without a plan of escape,'_ he thought. He then looked to his hand sadly, noting that his flesh was already starting to discolor. _'No matter how high the price may be,'_ he internally noted and then shuffled off with his wraiths to explore the Nether Tower.

As he left and down below, a wily little minion hobbled out of a cave. It wore a tattered leather loincloth and noticed the two gauntlets the Overlord's had hurled into the depths of the Netherworld. It briefly looked around and then shuffled to collect the glowing gemstones from the gauntlets before it paused. The gems seemed to speak to the tiny creature, and the minion knew what it had to do.

"F-Find the m-masters," it murmured. Its eyes began to glow bright yellow and it nodded as it held the gems. "The _**true**_ Masters," it echoed and paused to look to the side. He noticed the familiar face of a brown lying there with his tongue lolling out. "Gubben?" he questioned. The brown in question sat up with a hand to his head, and then turned to the other brown with a surprised expression.

"You's Jester!" the brown declared and pointed at him. The once Jester rolled his eyes and then scurried over to the other brown. Technically 'Quaver' was the current Jester but he didn't want to argue semantics right now.

"Gubben helps me finds masters!" he declared. Gubben gave him a confused stare.

"Why?" he questioned. Rather than answer Jester touched Gubben's head with one of the two gemstones. Briefly the browns eyes started to glow before he made an oh with his mouth. "Oh I's sees now," he murmured with a nod. The Jester rolled his eyes in response and then looked all around.

"We's needs find d'e true masters and stops Gnarl from his tricksy plans!" the brown declared. He then paused and looked around worriedly. "But firs we's go find more minions to helps us finds d'e masters," he amended. He then scurried off, while Gubben quickly followed him…

00

(" _ **The Shredder**_ "…)

The Black family, they were lords and rulers, they had been since the first time they set foot in these lands so many centuries ago. Back in an era of brain dead idiots and filthy peons, they rose up and created a kingdom. The Black Baron was the first, but was followed by so many more. The family had been around for untold ages and they had always, always, protected what was theirs.

Centuries had passed since the time of Johannes Black, whom had been defeated by a descendent of his and an ancestor of hers. Their family had been some of the first Shinobi, training in the arts of stealth and deception long before the era of 'Ninshu' started by the 'Rikudou Sennin'. Then again the Black's had always liked to try new things. They'd been warriors, mages, rogues, even necromancers and so much more across the ages.

Though admittedly, in this age they were Shinobi and the name Black had been buried for safeties sake. Instead they had taken a new name, but they were still lords, even if they were called 'Oroku'. The Shredder was but the latest of this long and storied line, and of course no different from them. The Shredder was the daimyo of Uzu no kuni and also, technically, the true kage of Uzushiogakure.

And as the Black's had once protected their kingdom, so too would The Shredder…

A figure in a suit of armor is thrown bodily out of a glass window in a burning village. The figure is soon followed by a second figure in armor. The first is a tall behemoth of a man in a horned helm with bright red eyes and obsidian platemale, a red scarf is tossed casually around his neck while a crimson chainmale loincloth falls from his waist. He has a war axe in hand and despite his platemale armor there is still some visibly discolored skin showing through.

The second figure is smaller and more slender than the first with a black outfit beneath a samurai inspired suit of steel armor. They bore blades on their forearms and shoulders, a pair of metal claws are clenched in their fists, a bright red sash is wrapped around their waist with a katana looped in the material, a grilled metal faceplace conceals the face of this person, as well as a samurai style helmet with a trident shaped crest.

The first was Noble Fairchild, once Black, The Betrayer, The Nether Lord, ruler of both the Infernal Abyss and Netherworld, and a Lich of untold ferocity and power. He was a warrior who had lived for eons, had stolen the souls of the wicked and the just alike. He who had walked the path of a hero and a villain in equal measure, and who had ultimately decided to walk the path of true darkness willingly.

The second was simply known as 'The Shredder' the Kage of Uzushiokagure, though many would be mistaken if they believed the name was due to the bladed armor. The Shredder got that name as a result of their tactics. Often using tactics that would slowly shred their enemies until they couldn't resist when the final blow was struck. Tonight… those tactics hadn't been able to help the land survive the assault from their enemies.

Uzushiogakure was attacked on all sides by a joint union of several villages and had had the backing of The Betrayer and a few others to help them. They came by boat, protected from the crashing waves and fierce whirlpools by magic spells cast by the Betrayer, hidden by an illusionist in his employ. They came without warning in the dead of night and proceeded to attack and lay waste to the once great village.

Given all that had happened tonight, it was no wonder that The Shredder was pissed.

Noble got back to his feet and gripped the handle of his axe tightly. He and The Shredder slowly circled around one another, eyes narrowed dangerously. Noble's eyes burned a horrific green while The Shredder's eyes were purest white. Finally after a moment the Shredder lunged forward with surprising speed. Noble grunted as he moved to the side, only to hiss as the Shredder's claws somehow found one of the holes in his armor.

The Shredder was extremely good at finding the small holes in his armor. Thankfully as a Lich he didn't feel pain or bleed anymore, his reactions were more habit at this point as he had been pretending to be alive for some time. Still he swung his axe at the Shredder and knocked them back. The Shredder's helmet was sent flying back and Noble narrowed his eyes as a woman stood with a hand to her head.

' _That figures,'_ he internally remarked with a grimace. The woman had chin length ebony hair, dark purple eyes, and her skin was tanned. Honestly as he looked at her he couldn't help but think she almost looked familiar. He shook his head of such thoughts a moment later and lunged at the woman. She looked up and then reached down to undo her sash. She then slipped out of her armor as he swung his axe down at her.

She slid under him and he turned with a grunt as she flipped back up into a low crouch. She still had on her forearm and shin armor, but quickly discarded the shin armor while Noble turned to her and narrowed his eyes. _**"So this is the true face of the famous 'Shredder' I've heard so much about,"**_ he remarked darkly. The dark haired woman mutely narrowed her eyes and then lunged at him.

Noble growled and swung his axe at the woman but she flipped over his strike to land behind / beside him. He turned and then growled as she stabbed through his armor at either side and swung his axe at her again. The woman rolled out of the way with a frown and narrowed her eyes. She briefly considered her options based on what she knew of the undead. However her concentration was broken as Noble attacked once more.

He swung his axe first and she ducked under it only for him to slam a fist into her chin and send her flying back. She gasped and then grunted as she was knocked bodily through a building then grit her teeth at a brief stab of pain at her side. She glanced down to see a bit of wood had splintered out and impaled her. She grit her teeth and then pushed herself off of the piece of wood and focused on her chakra.

" _ **Shosen Jutsu (Mystic Palms Technique),**_ " she whispered and held a glowing green hand over her side. She then looked up as Noble kicked his way into the building with her. He approached her menacingly and the woman lunged forward and flipped over him. He swung his axe but she placed her glowing hand onto him. She blinked in surprise when he gave a sharp cry and then grinned nastily.

She looked to her other hand as it began to glow green as well and swiftly leaped onto the behemoth's back. He hissed in pain as the glowing green energy seeped through his armor and caused his body to all but burn. He stumbled forward for a moment and then reached back to grab at the woman. However she released him and dropped into a crouch before she leaped out of the building.

Noble growled and followed her, only for a kunai to come at him from outside. He then blinked when he noticed the piece of paper attached to the end of the kunai. _'What is that supposed too…'_ he began to wonder, only for it to explode and send him flying back into the depths of the already burning building. Outside the woman breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped an arm around her waist.

She was Oroku 'The Shredder' Karai, the only child and daughter of Oroku Saki, and niece to Oroku Nagi. She had been trained from a young age as a Shinobi, taught the ways of the shadows. She'd also been taught from a young age the stories of their family. The tales of the Black and Oroku lines and all those other family names they'd taken over the millennia.

Karai had taken to it all, and to the spirit of the Shinobi, unlike her father.

Oroku Saki was a powerful and dangerous man, but he had always been far too blunt to be a true Shinobi. He preferred to utterly decimate his enemies in a quick and brutal fashion, Karai was a 'Shredder' literally witling down her enemies until there were too few left to fight her. It was for that reason only that no one had been aware that she was a woman for all these years.

Some actually believed that her father, Oroku Saki, was the Shredder and she was just a simple Daimyo as he led the village of Uzushio. She found that funny and used it to her advantage a few times. The Daimyo of enemy nations never expected one of their own to kill them in their sleep after all. The Samurai rarely took the time to keep an eye on her; they thought she was a simple woman.

Ahhh… so many easy marks. She winced as her side throbbed and then slowly got up to her feet and looked around. Her village, her people, her home… it was all being burned to the ground. There would be a few random survivors of course, including her daughter Kushina, who was half Uzumaki and been sent to Konoha at her request. She doubted she'd manage to find any other survivors, but at least Kushina would all right.

Karai breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. At a roar she looked up only for a fireball to connect with her face. She was sent sprawling back and glared up as Noble marched forward. Several pieces of his armor were now missing and he looked worse for wear. The woman smirked to herself, she might not have killed the undead Lich, but she'd most assuredly wounded the bastard.

She gasped as he approached and placed his foot on her chest and glared down at her furiously. _**"Ready to die now Overlord?"**_ he demanded. Karai blinked in surprise and stared at the man curiously.

"Nani?" she muttered briefly and then gasped as he pressed his foot down into her chest.

" _ **Do not try my patience further wench!"**_ he snarled. Karai was briefly confused before an idea came to mind. As it did she genuinely began to laugh in incredulity. Noble had been tricked, it was so obvious that it was honestly funny… _**"Stop laughing!"**_ he snarled as he lifted his foot and slammed it down on her chest. She gasped in pain and then grinned at him, _**"Talk!"**_ he hissed venomously.

"Baka," she breathed and then laughed. "I'm no Overlord… I'm a Dark Lady…" she whispered weakly. She idly reached a hand for her side and pulled a scroll loose. "You're the only Overlord I know," she stated plainly. Noble looked down at her suspiciously for a moment and then realized what she was saying. _'Wait… no… he couldn't have… he tricked me!'_ he internally hissed.

He then shook off his fury and looked to his… extremely distantly related 'niece' as she slowly held up a scroll. She whispered something that vaguely sounded like a prayer as the scroll unraveled to reveal dozens of pieces of paper. They all gave a sharp hiss and then exploded in a ball of fire, consuming the woman, Oroku Karai, as well as Noble. The fire roared and spread and the explosion sent him flying back.

He grunted as he fell through several buildings and then impacted with the ground. A building creaked and then fell on top of the undead fiend and he grit his teeth. _'I can't believe I was duped by that annoying little trog!'_ he internally hissed. He then shoved several bits of debris from his person and stood up. If he wasn't so angry right now he'd be proud of his distant niece, she may have died but she'd certainly given him a beating.

Of the very low number of times he'd been so badly wounded he'd say only his own son had ever managed to hurt him so badly. Sure the girl still died but at least she didn't die a broken wreck like some of his 'victims' over the years. Regardless he felt a boiling rage within him in response to his realization of what had happened. He glanced down at his damaged body and then reared his head back and roared furiously…

" _ **GNAAARRRLLL!**_ "

00

(Elsa _**"The Snow Queen"**_ Fairchild…)

A gnarled old claw briefly passed across the surface of a basin of water. An amused chuckle issued from the throat of an ancient minion, his once brown skin having turned a disgusting mottled grey. He briefly reached a claw up to pull at his beard and smirked to himself. His little trick had gone off without a hitch. Noble hadn't expected him to 'mention' Uzu while he was 'spying' on them.

As if the wily old Minion Master wasn't fully capable of noticing him scrying for them.

The simple trick had accomplished two goals for him. The first and most obvious was to put that blasted 'Betrayer' off of his trail. The undead behemoth had hounded him and his 'masters' for centuries now. Really it was starting to get ridiculous. Less obvious was his desire to put down the potential rise of any new 'Dark Lords' from the original Black family. Gnarl was wily, but the Dark Lords were fearsome when they came into power.

Oroku Karai had thankfully never ascended. She'd been regrettably human, nary a trace of the dragons blood of her ancestors. Regrettably the blood almost seemed to skip every few generations. It made it difficult, if not outright impossible, for Gnarl to determine which Dark Lord or Lady would be born with that power. Besides, he had his own personal puppets in the Fairchild line thus far…

"Gn-Gnarl! Gnarl!" a cry came and the old minion master grunted. He turned around, his cloak swishing and stirring the dust about his clawed feet. As such he was brought face to face with Giblet, the Minion Blacksmith of their latest home. He was a simple brown minion on the surface, but had been around longer than most any other minion. He was also dressed in a blacksmith's apron, heavy gloves, and a metal welding mask.

"What is it you blasted piece of dung?" he demanded. It was best not to be too nice to Minions; otherwise they got all uppity and started thinking for themselves. Gnarl knew that from personal experience…

"Mistress is being frozen!" the minion exclaimed. Gnarl blinked for a moment and then palmed his face with a groan. Oh right, that was why a Dark Lord would be better than using the Fairchild line, they were all bloody idiots!

"How?" he questioned and rubbed his temples. As if it wasn't bad enough that the previous Overlord got himself crushed by a dammed tree, now the latest had somehow frozen herself!

"She try cast Frost Storm spell," Giblet replied with a shrug. Gnarl grunted in response and then went introspective. He only kept the Fairchilds around because of Mathias and Noble, both had been exceptionally powerful and he genuinely expected another of their kind of Overlord to pop up. Instead he was getting sub par idiots or even a few who were a generation away from being bloody heroes…

"Is she alive at least?" he questioned with a frown. If not then he'd have to make sure they had a spare somewhere. He was fairly certain that the Over Lady, Elsa, had made several trips into town a few years back…

"Uh… no… she break," Giblet admitted. Gnarl felt his eyebrow twitch.

"How?" he questioned and had to restrain himself from grinding his teeth into a fine powder. Giblet shrugged in response.

"Random sheepie incident," he admitted. Gnarl blinked once and then shook his head. Of course it had something to do with the blaster Sheep. The browns loved those stupid balls of fluff for some strange reason… well they loved beating on them anyways.

"Wonderful," Gnarl muttered to himself and rubbed his temple again. The Fairchild line was clearly well passed its prime; maybe he should branch out and search for someone more useful. "Did she at least have a child or do I have to have Mortis revive her?" he questioned. Giblet nodded his head in response. "Well here's hoping this one isn't as silly as her mother," he remarked and hobbled off.

As he left Giblet looked around the room and frowned at a moving tapestry. He slowly started to check it only for Gnarl to call on him. "C'mon then, Giblet don't dawdle!" the minion master exclaimed. Giblet yelped for a moment and then hurried after the elderly minion… And a deranged looking Minion peaked out from behind the tapestry and hurried to the scrying pool…

The Jester had a master to find…

00

(Sylvanas " _ **The Banshee Queen**_ " Windrunner…)

It was late at night, and the world was cold, but she didn't care. The cold didn't bother her anymore and likely never would ever again. It was a fact she'd become used too since long before she'd come to this place. Neither heat nor cold seemed to affect her; instead all she felt was an endless sense of numbness. It had been almost painful for her at first, but after so long she was regrettably used to it.

The blond elf woman silently walked through a snow-covered landscape. Her crimson eyes darted here or there curiously. Despite her dubious lack of covering the woman was not cold in this weather. She hadn't been cold for a very long time. She pursed her lips as she approached a village with a large wall. She idly noted the guards at the gate and thought better of entering there…

But she admitted if only to herself that she was curious about this place.

She'd gotten here by going through a portal in 'The Nexus', which had honestly been a rather trying experience all its own. She'd been trapped in 'The Nexus' for who knew how long, before she'd finally found a way out. Between the endless battles and the search for a way out she felt more tired than she ever had when she was alive. Not physically tired of course, that was one thing she never had to worry about at least.

She idly shot an arrow with a rope tied to it at the top of the village wall. She briefly tested its strength and then proceeded to scale the wall. She glanced around to ensure no one noticed her as she reached the top of the wall. She briefly glanced down and then tied her rope and lowered herself into the village swiftly. Her boots hit the ground and she pulled the rope down so no one noticed she'd entered.

She then took a moment to take a cursory glance around the 'village' although it seemed more like a city to her. Maybe it was a bit too small to be called a city, but it was also too large to be called a village. _'A town perhaps,'_ she considered briefly then walked into the alleys of the village with a hum. She briefly noted the architecture of the village and couldn't help but think it had a decidedly Pandarian look to it all.

She paused her thoughts as her pointed ears twitched. She blinked and then turned to where she'd heard a noise. She soon dropped to a knee to peered around a nearby corner, only to scowl at what she saw. A large, clearly drunk, human male was chasing a blond haired child around. When he couldn't catch him and ran out of breath the man swore and flung his bottle of booze at the child instead.

The bottle slammed against the child's head, knocking him to the ground while the man got up and stumbled away. He was also shouting about a 'demon stealing his booze' or something. Sylvanas made a note to gut the man later; his actions were simply deplorable no matter how you looked at it. Though she then turned her eyes to the child and frowned to herself then sighed.

She briefly cursed her half-kind heart as she slowly approached and picked the child up. She held him in her arms and hummed a few bars of a very old song to comfort him. She briefly took note of his sunny blond spiky hair, and tanned skin with whisker shaped scars on his cheeks. But what gave her pause was the slight point of his ears and as he opened his eyes the feint glow of magic visible.

"W-who," he questioned weakly and struggled in her grasp. However the woman shushed him kindly and stroked his hair. She held him to herself, although while also making sure to keep him clear of the spikes and ornaments of her armor.

" _ **Hush now little one, I mean you no harm,"**_ she whispered softly. She then began to hum a soft song, an ancient song she'd sung before. It echoed off the walls of the alley and the child stilled in her grip. His eyes drooped then closed as the woman continued to hum the familiar tune. She then slowly stood up and walked into the alley, still she hummed to the child and made her way to a quiet place.

The blond undead elf knew that the boy couldn't be an elf. Not because no other elves were in this land, because she didn't know, but because the slant of his ears was different. She also noted the sharp canines in his mouth and figured he was certainly a half-breed of some kind. Sylvanas knew this, but regardless, that man would die before she was done here… which might be a while, as she'd found something interesting to occupy her time.

00

(Jaclyn _**"The Over-Lass"**_ Fairchild…)

Jaclyn was to be the next 'Over-lady' though for the moment she was more an Over-lass. She wasn't really sure how she felt about the title she would take. She was certainly eager to prove herself to her 'grandfather' of sorts Gnarl. He was hoping that she'd be a great conqueror and powerful leader to the minions and she didn't want to disappoint him. She also wanted to prove she was better than her mother…

Although granted, her mother did freeze herself solid then got shattered by a random sheep incident so that wasn't too lofty a desire to have. She'd already proven she was smarter than her mother by always waiting for Gnarl or the other minions before she practiced her spells. The ancient Minion Master always said he was proud that she wasn't a bimbo like some Over-Ladies had been, and she was happy for that.

Sort of, she really wanted to know what a Bimbo was supposed to be before she judged.

Regardless the silvery haired girl sat in a large room of their home, it was called 'Castle Gromgard' as Gnarl had called it. Though technically they felt more like ruins with all the broken bits and such lying everywhere. Gnarl had been working himself ragged making the other minions work themselves to the bone to fix the place up. Jaclyn wished she could do something to help the old guy.

Unfortunately she was still too young to go out on 'quests' to fix the castle or conquer the lands. She needed to wait until she was bigger and stronger before he'd let her step foot outside of the castle. He was worried that some 'Shining Justice' Paladins would try to kill her if they found her… or convert her… or whatever it was that paladins did to Over-Ladies. She didn't know, she really was curious about it though.

Still she sat waiting for Gnarl so she could start training with her magic. She liked her magic, but sometimes she wished she could have friends. The Minions were fine, though the Greens smelled horrible, but they were too servile to be real friends. She'd even thought of going out on her own to try and find some friends, but had thought better of it at the last minute.

Gnarl had told her that it was dangerous to go alone, so she of course listened to him.

"What do you mean they're gone?!" Jaclyn heard the old minion master snarl. She blinked then padded her way to a nearby doorway and pressed herself against the side of it. She then peered around the corner and saw Gnarl and Giblet, she liked Giblet, and she also thought he was cute in a weird way.

"They's jus gone Gnarl," Giblet replied with a shake of his head. Gnarl growled in frustration and pulled on his beard.

"Urgh! How did this happen?!" he demanded. Giblet shrugged and Gnarl started to pace. "Gubben was bad enough when he disappeared, now we've also gone and lost Gobby, Mouldy, Venom, Carnage, Stripe, Ricket, Shock, Awe, Liquid, Flare, Scorch and Burn as well!" he roared in frustration. Giblet nodded his head then chuckled.

"Shin and Espio as well," he admitted. Gnarl roared in frustration and then started to bang his head against a wall. He'd known those idiots were up to something for a while now, but to just up and leave? Not to mention just how many had decided to leave. Minions didn't decide to just leave! They were bleeding servants to hi… err… the Over-lady, yes servants to the Over-Lady.

"Do we know where those idiots went?" the ancient brown demanded. Giblet shook his head. "Of course not," he muttered bitterly. He then tried to find the missing minions by concentrating on the Castle Heart… wait… "I can't sense them!" he declared in surprise, he then grit his teeth in fury. "Those little idiots must've cut themselves off from the heart and their hives," he murmured to himself.

"What we do Gnarl?" Giblet questioned. Gnarl sneered and stroked his beard. They really couldn't do anything at this point. The new pack of 'Wild Minions' would be able to go anywhere they wanted… for a short time. Eventually the magic that sustained them would run out and they'd just die. Normally Gnarl would say they didn't have anything to worry about… but he wasn't so sure.

Among those missing was Shin; a genius Minion if ever there was one. He was cunning and intelligent though a bit too meek for the Minion Masters liking, especially considering he was a brown. Regardless, Shin was with those minions and he likely had a plan, which would be the only reason they'd cut themselves off from them so suddenly and then run off into the unknown.

"I want the guards to keep an eye out for any more missing minions," Gnarl ordered and then turned towards the doorway. "Whatever it is that Shin and his little band are up too, we shouldn't let ourselves be taken by surprise," he remarked. Giblet nodded and then scratched his head.

"What 'bout mistress?" he questioned. Gnarl paused and stroked his beard with a frown.

"I believe its time we pushed her training forward," he remarked and started to hobble down the hall. Seeing this Jaclyn swiftly scurried back to her place and sat down. She took a breath and pretended she hadn't listened in. Although she was concerned, mostly because she didn't know why those minions would leave. It was their purpose to serve the Overlords, and she was the Over-Lady…

Right?

00

(Uzumaki Naruto…)

He was a very strange child, and he'd readily admit as much to anyone who tried to say otherwise. Then again, how many normal children could say they were raised by an undead elf. Admittedly she wasn't around as much as she wanted to be. She sometimes got summoned back to 'The Nexus' to fight for the amusement of otherworldly creatures of some kind or other.

Naruto didn't complain too loudly anymore. When he was younger it was the worst thing to happen to him, but she always came back. Sometimes it took longer than others, but she would always come back to him. Naruto lived a relatively normal life outside of that. He was training in the Shinobi academy, though he wasn't sure if he really wanted to be a Shinobi, or if he'd prefer to be a Ranger like his mother.

Although to be fair he was a very poor Ranger and his mother hadn't sugar coated that fact.

Naruto sighed as he walked the snow-covered streets of Konoha. The snow crunched beneath his sandal / boot clad feet as he went. Winter had come and it was a particularly cold one this year, but Naruto didn't mind. His mother had gone to the trouble of teaching him a 'warming charm' for the cold. He apparently picked it up very quickly which had intrigued her because he didn't seem like the 'mage type' as she put it.

Regardless, the blond was walking the streets towards the forest. He was feeling hungry and figured a little hunting was in order. He was bad with the bow but he'd at least gotten to the point he could hit something… it just took him a few tries. He was hopeful that he'd get a lucky break and manage to hit something on the first try this time. Cause if he was unlucky then he'd be going hungry… or going to Ichiraku.

' _Sylvanas said no more Ramen everyday,'_ he reminded himself. Though he didn't think it was fair that he couldn't have Ramen whenever he wanted. Still Sylvanas forbade it, as she was certain too much of the stuff would stunt his growth. Naruto hadn't honestly cared all that much for that, but she had been insistent and he wasn't going to argue with her. People who argued with the banshee queen never won…

Naruto breathed a sigh through his nose as he walked into the forest. He was dressed in a hooded orange coat, a quiver and bow over his left shoulder, while his eyes gave off a pale glow within the depths of his hood. He breathed out of his mouth and a pale mist followed his breath. He smirked briefly and then ran into the depths of the forest. His mother had insisted he learn to hunt and take care of himself whenever she disappeared.

With how often she was summoned to the Nexus that had become something of a necessity.

All the same she'd tried to find a way to prevent being summoned by the otherworldly forces. Her attempts had been met with naught, as it seemed that level of magic was well beyond the scope of her abilities. She wasn't sure what allowed her to be summoned either or she'd have been done with it by now. Whatever it was it consistently pulled her away at the worst times.

Naruto understood and tried to deal with it, but some nights he missed her. Even if she wasn't the liveliest of women, she was his mother and he'd come to love her. Especially after she gave him that pendent. Given the story of how precious it was to her, it was little surprise why he treasured it dearly. He'd also jokingly asked her to sing for him and offered it back to her. She hadn't been amused with his joke, at all.

' _ **No! I'm not going to sing for you! I'm a heartless undead ruler, not a music box!'**_ she'd told him sternly. Naruto had just laughed and thanked her for the gift. She'd been tempted to take the pendent back, but had ultimately decided against it. Now the blond wore it wherever he went. Thus far he'd kept anyone from noticing it and that was a feat in and of itself given how the people in Konoha seemed to watch him like a hawk.

He snapped out of his thoughts as he heard something come from nearby. He quickly knelt down and pulled his bow from his shoulder. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and notched it, though waited till he had a target before he did anything else. He'd lost more arrows than he cared to admit by being overly enthusiastic. He briefly looked around for whatever it was he'd heard when he noticed strange footprints nearby.

He blinked in surprise and then approached the footprints. He knelt down and then frowned deeply at what he saw. The footprints vaguely resembled those of a Goblin, or at least it looked like what Sylvanas once showed him goblin tracks looked like. The only problem was that the footprint was too small for a goblin. _'An imp then,'_ he considered to himself with a low hum.

However before he could ponder any further he yelped as several small bodies leaped at him from out of the trees. He struggled in their grip for a moment before one came in front of him and gave him pause. It looked like a goblin too, but it was brown in color, with bright yellow eyes and the tattered remains of a leather loincloth. Its nose was also more like a snout than the hooked thing goblins had.

He narrowed his eyes as it bared its sharp teeth in a wide grin.

"Greetings sire!" it declared in an overly enthusiastic voice. He blinked.

"Nani?" he muttered. The creature didn't seem to notice as it looked about skittishly and started to twitch its claws.

"W-we must hurry," it declared and waved behind the captured blond. Naruto himself glanced out of the corner of his eye to see more of the 'tiny goblins' as they appeared to be. Although he was fairly certain that Goblins didn't come in shades of red, blue, or brown, the green ones were almost certainly… "Come! Come now!" the first strange creature declared and scampered off.

Naruto grunted as his diminutive captors carried him behind the strange little creature like an oversized sack of potatoes. _'Oh sweet kami-sama if Sylvanas saw this she'd have my hyde for sure,'_ the blond noted to himself with a grimace. Well that also depended on whether or not she was laughing at that point. He was fairly certain the sight of him being carried around by miniature goblins would be hilarious to the undead elf.

"Apologies for this master," the strange creature stated as it sidled up to him, "but we's needing your help!" he declared. Naruto glared at him with a scowl.

"So you're kidnapping me?" he demanded hotly. The brown creature gave a nervous chuckle in response.

"You's say no otherwise," he admitted. The blond frowned at that and tried to get free of the creatures. "N-N-No master! No struggling or Carnage will," he tried to say before a green creature in red war paint slammed a tiny club into his face. Instantly the blond's conscious mind fell into darkness…

00

(Inferna)

She recalled the desert sun when she was a child. Something about the sun, the heat and flames had always intrigued her. She hailed from Ruboria, and grew up in the lands of the 'Red Desert'. She recalled how everyone in her village seemed to have an affinity for fire, everyone. Mostly it was in the form of torches or arson, but she remembered that she was very different from the others.

Because unlike them, she could actually conjure fire!

She didn't need torches to control fire, she didn't need the son, no her body itself generated the flame. The sages of her village referred to it as 'The Living Flame' and dubbed her blessed by it. Yet of course the people of her village grew to fear her for the power she held. Soon enough that fear caused them to ostracize her, not just the people she didn't know, but friends and neighbors… and even her own family.

One day her father took her out deep into the desert to go hunting. At least that was what he told her at the time. She'd been a simple innocent little girl with great power back then, but that was soon to change. Her father abandoned her in that desert, left her to die. She'd been horrified, confused, hurt and betrayed. She cried herself to sleep on so many of those lonely frigid nights at first, warmed only by the living flame within her.

The next morning she'd been alone, abandoned and without anyone to turn to. She trudged into the desert in search of someone, anyone who might help her. In time her skin was left rough and course, her feet bled from lack of shoes, she felt faint from lack of hydration, and she nearly collapsed from hunger. It had felt like the desert itself was trying to kill her, claim her as its own…

She recalled it all in such detail now, how it had all felt so horrible. The scorching sun hovered over her constantly and battered her bare skin as she searched the desert. The frigid nights were worse by far, warmed only by the heat of her living flame. The sandstorms tried to rip the flesh from her bones but she endured, and even when the beasts of the deserts tried to make a meal of her… she survived.

She survived through sheer force of will and unyielding determination! She endured every trial and task the wild desert could through at her and she emerged from it reborn. She never returned to that horrible village where people feared her, and instead struck it out on her own. She looked out only for herself, hunting or stealing for whatever she needed or wanted, with the living flame as her only companion.

The desert that tried to kill her, instead made her tough and resilient, powerful and unbreakable! She trained herself to fight and conjure flames that burned all her enemies to ash. Then she set forward and battled anyone who dared to challenge her, her only goal to be as harsh and brutal to the world as it had been to her. Villages were destroyed, adults were immolated, elders were brutalized, and children were turned to ash…

Her reputation turned to legend and soon all of Ruboria feared her coming.

They would take to leaving food and drink at their gates just on the off chance that she was passing by. They gave her the name 'Red Death' for her rough skin, which had been turned a deep dark red from her time alone in the desert. They hoped that their meager offerings would dissuade her from coming and single handedly leveling their homes as she had to so many others.

Sadly her legend ended, but she certainly went out in style. One day while exploring the deserts she saw something amazing. A veritable sea of gems! They glinted in the light and even though she'd long abandoned her childhood, the little girl in her had demanded the shiny pretty gems. The only problem was the family of rock trolls had been against her, she fought them fiercely, yet despite her best efforts was literally crushed by them…

Thus Inferna 'The Red Death of Ruboria' perished alone… just as she lived…

00

(Malady)

She recalled that she hadn't had a good childhood. She remembered being raised in an overcrowded bakery-come-orphanage, run by the 'ladies of the blessed beard'. Technically they were supposed to be called the 'Ladies of the Blessed Bread' but the sign carver was having a really bad day when he made the sign and no one ever bothered to change it because that would cost extra.

On the surface the ladies maintained a veil of demure and respectable woman. But the truth was they forced the children of the orphanage to work their huge bread ovens, and knead the dough, and sell the bread day in and day out with little rest and little food. On top of all that the ladies were cruel disciplinarians offering beatings for the tiniest of infractions and starving them to save money.

Sometimes they beat them just because they were cruel people… but no one believed them.

She had lived like that for years, ever since she could walk she would work and make bread or sell bread or knead dough. She lived through starvation and beatings and without any love or sympathy. As far as the ladies were concerned she was a parasite feeding off of their good will. Eventually something just… snapped… inside of her and she escaped then burned the orphanage and everyone inside of it to the ground.

Needless to say, the city didn't take too kindly to some no-name orphan burning down a respectable orphanage with respectable matrons. They tried to hunt her down but she escaped yet again, she went out to the countryside and tried to fend for herself… unfortunately she wasn't very good at it. Then a miracle happened, her mistress and teacher found her, and took her in.

She'd been suspicious at first, with good reason given her prior treatment, but the woman had nursed her back to health and offered to teach her her craft. Her name was Grimora, an elderly woman and necromancer. Despite raising the dead she was honestly gentle to her, or maybe that was because she liked her… she didn't really know. All she knew was that those years with Grimora were the happiest she'd ever been.

She'd taken to Necromancy like a duck to water, she learned all the ins and outs of death and the power she held over it swiftly and her mistress couldn't have been more proud. Grimora had always told her that the skill of the student was directly proportionate to the skill of the teacher. If the student learned swiftly it was because she was doing her job right. She didn't care; she had just beamed under the praise from her teacher.

As time went on she'd learned to summon skeletal servants to do minor tasks for her. She'd then learned to summon zombies and ghouls and other undead to do her bidding for her. A few times she'd summoned banshees and trained them to sing, why she wanted the banshees to sing she hadn't known, but it turned out that banshees were amazing singers all the same.

She'd eventually come to prefer the company of the dead, looking at them as her friends and family, alongside old Grimora of course. Old grimora was like a mother or grandmother to her, but the dead were her friends. Plus an added bonus was that most dead people were a lot quieter than the living, and easier to control too! Life was simple and pleasant in those days; she'd hoped they'd never end.

Too bad reality had a way of dashing her hopes and dreams.

It was unfortunate that their neighbors hadn't been enthusiastic about living near Necromancers. They'd viewed both her and Grimora with suspicion and disdain. Really it was strange, although it didn't hurt that they got uppity when a corpse or two got back up so she could make a new friend. Needless to say they were quickly accused of the most outrageous lies, with their neighbors firmly believing they committed nearly every crime in the area…

In all fairness, they'd admittedly committed about half of the local crimes but not all of them. Most of those crimes hadn't technically even been done by them, but by their undead slaves, and even then most of those crimes involved stealing clothes or water or food because no one would sell them any. Yet of course no one bothered to look at it like that, instead they basically screamed 'burn the witches' at them and that was that.

So of course a local troop of uppity do-gooder paladins set out to slay them like the 'horrible monsters they were'. She felt it was totally unjustified! They were just simple people trying to live a simple little life. Sure they resurrected the dead, sure they dug up the corpses of their neighbor's family, sure she'd occasionally killed people who stumbled onto them at night but it wasn't like other people hadn't done worse!

Regardless, the Paladins riled up the local peasants and together they stormed their castle. She and Grimora fought back tooth and nail against the invaders. They used any and every spell at their command, sent hordes of zombies and skeletons and ghouls and banshees and other undead at them in droves. But their magic had limits and the paladins had white magic to fight their undead.

Grimora was slain, tired and weak she was beaten to death by common rabble while screaming for her to run and save herself. She'd been so hurt and scared and horrified but had done as ordered all the same. She'd slipped deep into the depths of the castle to hide and then cry. The woman she considered like a mother or grandmother was dead, killed by peasants and paladins.

She was alone again…

She remembered being so angry, so very angry and hate had boiled and burned within her as she focused on a horrible curse. She didn't care what the curse would do to her so long as the bastards that killed Grimora and all those pitiless invaders died! They would join Grimora in death… and so would she. She cast the dark curse and gave up her life force to fuel it. It spread through the castle and consumed all the invaders, dropping them dead with they stood.

She died that night… but she took every last one of those bastards with her…

00

(Hakon)

He was a bastard, literally a bastard. He was Hakon, which was pronounced 'Hawk-On' ye bloody gits, not 'Hay-Kon'! He was once the leader of a group of dwarven mercenaries called 'The Utter Bastards'. The name was well deserved as they were extraordinary tough and ferocious. They were also known to leave a trail of blood and carnage in their wake, if ye were lucky of course.

If ye weren't lucky, well… ye'd wish ye were dead.

Hakon recalled his life with The Bastards was his happiest. Sure he had to stave off more than a dozen assassination attempts by his cohorts, but that was just what it meant to be a Bastard. After all, the greatest threat to a Bastard was dying at the hand of his own crew, not to mention the fact that they tended to kill one another when they didn't have anyone else to kill. Needless to say, they got bored rather easily.

Yet despite that none of the Bastards held a grudge against their fellows, in fact as far as they were concerned it was all in good sport. Which explained why the majority of the Bastards were scarred, missing eyes, ears, teeth, limbs… random bits of flesh and that sort of stuff. Hakon himself was a wily old cad and so was the least scarred out of his troop, but was perhaps the toughest of them given his tenure as leader.

Hakon loved his life as a Bastard, he and his men had traveled the land slaughtering anyone they wanted for whatever price they wanted. It'd been a bloody brilliant time, literally bloody in fact! Did they care who paid them on any given day? No! Did they care who they killed on any given day? Again no! Did they care that they were probably murdering the innocent and the villainous alike? Did ye not hear me the first two times?!

Eventually of course all good things have to come to an end. The Paladins of the 'Shining Justice' eventually hired the Bastards. Hakon was dismayed no one had hired them to kill the Paladins, but he could stomach them as long as their gold was good. He and a few of his mates hadn't been too enthusiastic about the job at first… then they found out they were going to kill a bunch of elves.

Dark Elves but still elves… his men shut up quickly after that fact. The job paid them in exorbitant amounts of gold and gave them an excuse to kill a bunch of elves, what more did any of them need? Hakon remembered storming the icy fortress of the Dark Elves under the town of Nordberg. He also remembered fighting one elf in particular, landing a killing blow at the same time one landed against him.

His only regret as he died… was that he hadn't gotten to kill more elves before he died…

00

(Cryos)

He recalled his life was… peaceful once. He had loving parents, kind siblings, and all that he could ever ask for. He lived a life of privilege, yet he did not lord his standing over others and instead tried to be kind to all he met. He'd lived his young life as the youngest prince of a long line of Elves to the north. They had called that place their home for centuries, since the time of Mathias Fairchild, to whom they pledged their allegiance.

Of course having pledged their service to an Overlord meant that they took to the ice and snow and became 'Dark Elves' according to local human populous. Although as a child Cryos hadn't understood what difference it made. As an adult he could only shake his head; the only difference between a Dark Elf and a Light Elf were purely mental, any High Elf could be 'Dark' with the right mindset after all…

He recalled his home, a great fortress built from ice and snow in the caves near Nordberg. The fortress was carved and formed out of that ice and snow with the magic of his family line. He'd always been proud of his heritage, proud of his family, but he had also known that it was pointless. Their people were few and dwindling as the Paladins of the Shining Justice launched a crusade against them.

He'd tried to help, flash freezing the nearby animals and mashing them together into horrific creatures to help fend off an attack from the enemy and defend their domain. He'd made other defenses as well, but they proved to be ineffective against the assault of the 'Shining Justice' paladins. It certainly didn't hurt that those morons had hired one of the most infamous groups of mercenaries in all the lands.

The Utter Bastards, a pack of ruddy surly Dwarves. Why a group like the Shining Justice had hired them he didn't know, they were far more evil than he and his people after all! He supposed the difference was that the Utter Bastards could be bought off with gold… and they probably figured they'd end up killing each other. Cryos felt disgust as the Paladins stayed in the back as the Dwarves ran in headfirst to attack.

Now normally Cryos didn't like to stereotype anyone, everyone was supposed to be different after all. However as far as he was concerned, the Utter Bastards were a bunch of living stereotypes for Dwarves! This was especially true as one tried to make off with one of the women of his people, a girl he'd befriended as a boy. So was it any wonder why he'd taken such great satisfaction from killing those butchers?

To be perfectly honest he didn't care if someone took offence or wondered why he enjoyed killing them with icy spears and spikes. He didn't care because his family was being butchered by a bunch of ruddy dwarfs as a bunch of Paladins watched on from the sidelines. In the end Cryos faced off against the leader of the Utter Bastards, and they somehow managed to hit one another with a killing blow at the same time…

His only regret… that he hadn't gotten to kill even more of those bloody dwarves!

00

( _ **"The Netherghuls"**_ )

Noble "The Betrayer" sat upon his throne with narrowed eyes. Arranged before him were four coffins. His Reaper Wraiths were already hard at work fishing the souls of these dead warriors from the sea of souls in the Infernal Abyss. While they weren't all pure evil, they were all evil enough to have landed a sentence in his domain. Using that and a bit of Necromancy, he'd fashioned new bodies for each of them.

He drummed his gauntlet-covered fingers on the armrest of his throne while he propped his cheek against his raised fist. He'd noticed over the years that no matter how hard he tried to find Gnarl he was always a step ahead of him. After centuries of the trog tricking him he'd finally decided it was time for a change. If he couldn't find Gnarl on his own then he'd just have to recruit a little help.

It had taken him time to find the perfect warriors, but among them was one who he knew would serve him well. Inferna, the Red Death, she was a legend even in his time, and the oldest of the souls he was resurrecting from the grave. He'd heard rumors of Inferna in his travels with the Wizard and the other six heroes; primarily from Khan who'd been of the mind the woman was utterly terrifying.

Given who Khan was and his great strength, that was a feat in and of itself!

The rest of the warriors included a rogue, an icy-mage, and a necromancer. Each of them were powerful in their own right, but certainly nothing compared to the legendary Red Death. The laughable group of paladins from the 'Shining Justice' had even killed the lot of them. If it weren't for that fact he might actually take them a bit more seriously, as it was he'd be wary of Inferna, but not the others at all.

He paused his thoughts as his wraiths started to raise their arms and chant.

"Netherghul!" they called out as energy swirled around the four coffins. "Netherghul!" the continued to chant as the energy spiraled upwards. "Netherghul!" the ghostly chant called out as the coffins lids began to shake and shudder. "Netherghul!" the continued to chant from the very depths of the Netherworld. "Netherghul!" they exclaimed one final time as the lids all but flew off of the coffins and into the air.

His wraiths stepped back as three figures sat up and exited their coffins.

The first was a slender woman with discolored almost scaly looking green-ish yellow skin, she had long red-ish once blond hair hanging out the back of a horned helmet which shadowed her face and left only her glowing yellow eyes visible. She wore a purple dress that exposed her entire right leg, with a purple corset overtop it, and a purple pauldron on her left shoulder, a gauntlet over her left hand and forearm, and a few strips of purple cloth around her other arm and legs.

The second was a man, tall and thin with sunken discolored blue skin and bloody fingertips, long silvery white hair and brightly glowing blue eyes, he wore leather pants with a draped white cloth trailing behind him, leather armor around his legs and left elbow, and aarmored leather boots. He carried a twisted staff and leaned into it heavily while icy armor formed around the rest of his skin.

The last was a short dwarven man; his skin was green as were his glowing eyes, while he had a long red beard braided down into an iron ring at the end. He wore studded leather armor with spike-toed boots and a skull for a codpiece, and a golden helmet with three large horns. Unlike the other two the dwarf carried a pair of hand axes and looked like he knew how to use them as well.

However these three mattered little to Noble, it was only as flames surged out of the final coffin that he grinned. His other Netherghuls turned in surprise as a beastly woman stood up from the final coffin, standing taller than any of them save for his Reaper-Wraiths. The woman was literally twice the size of the dwarf, a head taller than the elf, and more than a head taller than the human woman.

She stepped forward, her skin was dark with flame designs across it, her eyes burned like crimson hellfire, and he knew that under her familiar horned helmet that she had short deep crimson hair. She wore a short sleeveless / shoulder-less red cotton dress, with black armor with red runes over her chest, shoulders, legs, and forearms / hands with a minion emblem at the center of her waist from which hung a red loincloth.

The woman's skin flared and her body ignited as she reared her head back and stretched her arms outwards. _**"I LIVE!"**_ Inferna The Legendary Red Death of Ruboria exclaimed. Noble internally chuckled and smirked to himself as he watched the woman step towards him. Yes, she did live, and now the once Overlord had four generals to help him tear Gnarl and his insignificant 'Over-Lady' apart!

00

(The Under-Fields…)

' _ **Awaken,'**_ a voice echoed in the depths of his mind. _**'Find me,'**_ it whispered as Uzumaki Naruto slowly came back to consciousness. He heard voices all around him, the sound of tiny feet skittering about. "Ooh ooh! Lookie lookie! He waking up!" a deranged high-pitched voice declared. Naruto tried to raise his hands to his ears to block out the voice, only to pause when he felt that he was restrained by what felt like heavy chains.

"What taking so long!" another voice demanded impatiently. _'Fuck you too buddy,'_ Naruto thought with an internal groan. He wasn't prone to swearing but he did occasionally do so when the time felt appropriate. Luckily for him Sylvanas had never caught him doing so. He could scarcely imagine what she'd do if she did.

"Me rub acid in eyes?" another voice questioned. The question shocked the blond enough that he sat up.

"Wait what?!" he demanded then groaned in pain. Why was his head throbbing? He blinked for a moment as his head throbbed and he saw a familiar batch of brown, red, blue, and green creatures around him. _'Oh right… I almost forgot about the mini-goblins,'_ he thought with a frown. He struggled against his bonds for a moment then looked up as one of the brown ones came forward.

"P-please sire, no more dat," the creature pleaded, "I's is Jester Sire, and we've been looking for you long time!" the creature, apparently named Jester, stated. Naruto frowned in response and glanced around. He appeared to be in a large cave, though he noticed a ravine off to the side and what looked like the night sky above that. Unfortunately the ravine was covered in sharp spiky rocks.

' _I wont be able to climb out,'_ he reasoned. He also noted that there was grass and strange plants all around, growing in the dim light. He then turned back to the creature but paused as a voice echoed at the back of his mind. _**'Come… find me,'**_ it called from the depths of the ravine and Naruto's eyes flared bright blue only to dim a moment later. He shook his head with a frown, eyes narrowed as he turned around to the brown creature.

"Why?" he questioned, because honestly the question bore asking. He was just glad that Sylvanas taught him Basic, Underspeak, Elfish, and of course Gobbledygook or it'd be a lot harder to do. Although he paused when he saw the creature tilt its head.

"You accent terrible," Jester stated bluntly. _'Oh I'm so sorry I'm not fluent in a language I learned second hand from an undead elf,'_ the blond internally griped. Really, it wasn't like he practiced speaking Gobbledygook, he'd never thought he'd need the language for Kami's sake! "But You's is de masta, and dat why we bring you here," he further replied. Naruto looked at the creature with a deadpan expression.

"I'm your master?" he questioned.

"Aye," Jester said with a nod.

"So you kidnapped me, knocked me out, dragged me underground, chained me up, and threatened to rub acid in my eyes… because I'm your master," he noted flatly. Jester blinked in response and then chuckled nervously.

"Carnage fault realies," he noted with a nod to a green creature with red war paint that giggled madly off to the side. Naruto looked at the clearly mad creature strangely for a moment, then turned back to the only slightly mad Jester.

"I don't care," he stated flatly, "why did you kidnap me!?" he demanded firmly. The 'Jester' creature fidgeted for a moment before a different brown creature stepped forward. The new creature looked virtually identical to the first, albeit he seemed a lot less… mad…

"Forgives Jester," the creature pleaded with a bow of its head, "He not right in head no more," it admitted with a shake of its head. Naruto snorted at that, he could tell that was the case the moment the Jester started talking. "I's is Shin, former Librarian to Over-Lady," he admitted with a bow of his head. "And we's is kidnapping ye cause we needs new master," he admitted. Naruto raised a brow.

"Wait… what the hell happened to the old one?" Naurto questioned warily. He so did not want these little f-ers to drag him into some ages old war. Shin frowned in response and crossed his arms over his chest.

"She being controlled by Gnarl," he replied with a nod. Naruto arched a brow and tilted his head in question.

"Who? And… why is that bad?" he questioned. Shin sighed in response.

"Gnarl is oldest Brown Minion, it bad cause Masta is supposed be Masta not servant to Gnarl!" the creature replied with a nod. Naruto stared at it for a moment and then narrowed his eyes.

"Wait… Minion?" he questioned. Shin nodded.

"We's is Minions," he replied with a wave of his arm. Naruto glanced around at the 'Mini-Goblins' and hummed. _'I guess Min from Mini plus Goblin would kind of sound like 'Minion','_ he internally remarked. At least it made sense to him. He paused his thoughts as the voice at the back of his mind echoed once more. _**'Hurry… find me… claim your birthright,'**_ it called out to him. He frowned as it did then turned back to Shin.

"So what is a Minion exactly?" he questioned. The voice worried him, but mostly because he didn't want insanity to be contagious.

"Minions were created by Black Baron in old time, we's special breeds of Gremlin," Shin began which caused Naruto to frown. _'I thought Gremlins were just a myth,'_ he admitted to himself. His mother had told him a few stories from Azeroth about the creatures messing with Dwarven machinery… _'Huh, I guess Sylvanas-Hime owes a bunch of dwarves an apology,'_ he inwardly remarked to himself.

"De first master created us serve him and he family in old time, we do so faithfully for generations, but den Gnarl want more, want be masta! But Gnarl no is Masta! Only Overlord or Dark Lord is Masta!" the creature declared firmly. "So we's leave an find Dark Lord, so Dark Lord can fix tings and make Gnarl pay!" he declared firmly. The other little creatures gave a howl of agreement.

Naruto looked at them strangely as he pieced things together.

"So you think I'm the 'Dark Lord'?" he questioned.

"No tink, know," Shin replied with a nod. Naruto frowned.

"How?" he questioned. In response Shin scurried to the side and produced a large leather bound dark blue book with a stylized skull emblem on the cover. He then scurried over to Naruto and held the book up for him to see.

"Dis de Black Book," the minion explained. Naruto glanced down at the book; taking note that it was definitely not black… it was a really dark blue though.

"It's blue," he remarked. Shin nodded.

"We's has to fixes it a few times," he admitted. He then opened the book and Naruto watched silently as he did. One of the first pages showed a picture of a behemoth in steel armor, the name 'Byron Black' in a beautiful script above his head. Naruto looked at Shin strangely then watched as the creature turned the page.

Within those pages Naruto saw so many names. Wizard Gromgard. Rose Gromgard. Velvet Gromgard. Sigmund Black. Aeon Black. Marcus Black. William Black. Eldrith Black. Dominus Black. Janet Black. Noble Fairchild / Black. Johannes Hamson. Draco Black. Bellatrix Black. Mathias Fairchild. Elsa Fairchild. Jaclyn Fairchild. The names went on and on before he saw names that actually mattered to him…

Those names were different to the previous ones, which had been steady for the most part. Oroku Saki, his great-grandfather, Oroku Nagi his great uncle, Oroku Karai, his grandmother, Uzumaki Kushina, his mother, and then of course at the very end alongside a girl by the name of 'Jaclyn Fairchild' there was…

"Me," he whispered in shock. There before him was a record of his family, all of his family; from the first to the last… these were his kin. They were lords and ladies; they were conquerors and warriors, but most importantly to him, they were his family. Further what shocked the blond was that the words on his page were writing themselves. _'An enchanted book, used to chronicle our family history and keep track of it,'_ he realized.

"I's hides book from Gnarl so he no finds you or you mammy," Shin suddenly said, "He's try kill all Dark Lords, so none come make him pay, tricks Betrayer into killing you's granny," the creature explained. Naruto felt rage flare within him at that bit, at both this 'Gnarl' and at the 'Betrayer' for actually killing his grandmother. Still he bit back his anger for the past and focused on the creatures in front of him.

"Why… why did you only come now?" Naruto questioned. Given how this Betrayer and Gnarl had already murdered several of his ancestors, it wasn't like they lacked for time. They could've gone to his grandmother if things were really as bad as they said and she'd have been far more useful to them in her prime. _'At least if even half the things she did in this book are true,'_ he remarked as he studied his granny's page in the book…

"We's cants," Shin admitted, "We's was bound to Over-Lady, have to obey or die. Gnarl also watch you granny, couldn'nay get to her wit out him see," the creature admitted. He then turned to Jester who brought a pair of glowing yellow gemstones to the blond. "Jester finds dese and uses dem free us, but wes loose link to heart, so we slowly widder… and die," the creature admitted. Naruto blinked in surprise and then frowned.

"Then you need me to help you survive?" he questioned. He then paused as he hard the voice rumble in the back of his mind yet again. _**'Hurry… hurry… find me… claim your birthright… claim your power… claim your destiny… find me,'**_ it echoed in the depths of his mind. However this time as he held the gems in his hands, the minions heard it as well. As one the minions looked all around until one scratched its head.

"What dat?" it questioned.

"I dun know," another replied.

"No ask you dum dum!" another shouted and jumped on the previous minion to wrestle.

"Wait… you guys hear it too?" Naruto questioned in surprise. _'So I'm not insane, that's certainly good to know,'_ he noted to himself. The Minions were clearly insane enough without him joining the ranks of the mad as well. Regardless of his relief of the fact he wasn't losing his mind, he was curious about the voice all the same.

"Aye, ye hold de gems, we linked to dem so we no die witout heart," Shin replied, "Gems draw power from Lord, you lord, so gem draw power from you, also let us hear an see what you do," the creature added. Naruto glanced down at the yellow gems strangely and then hummed. _'So does that mean if I were to think rather than talk you could still hear me?'_ he wondered aloud… if that made any sense.

"Aye," Shin replied with a nod. Naruto's eyebrows shot up in surprise and he looked down to the gems in amazement. That was certainly not something he'd ever heard of from Sylvanas. He could imagine if she had had such devices they would be beyond rare and extremely valuable. Being able to communicate without the need to actually speak was impressive, though he was sure there were drawbacks to the gems.

"Right…" he murmured and then looked up, "I need to go to that voice," he stated. He didn't know why, but with how urgently it beckoned him he was certain that something was up, and he wanted to know what it was. But if he were honest there was a deeper reason, something buried within the depths of his being wanted him to go and find it, needed him to go and find it.

"A'course masta," Shin declared. Naruto nodded then frowned as the Minions scurried off. Naruto waited for a few seconds before he exhaled an irritated breath through his nose.

"Would you kindly," he began with a twitch of his brow and gritted teeth, "UNCHAIN ME FIRST!" he furiously snarled…

00

Eventually the minions remembered to unchain the blond and they set out. Naruto was wary of the minions, but he was too curious about the voice to let it deter him. He was a little concerned because it didn't take thousands of years to decide to up and leave their previous masters employ. _'Although that Gnarl guy could've been watching my family in case they tried that,'_ he admitted to himself.

Regardless, Naruto found himself following instinct as he searched for the voice. He also had the 'Black Book' clasped firmly in hand. He didn't care if Shin offered to carry it, if they wanted it they would have to pry it out of his cold dead hands. This was proof of who his family was and he wasn't letting go of it! Being an orphan he'd always dreamed of knowing who his family were, Sylvanas filled the void mostly but…

"Masta, I tink I see someden!" Jester called out. Naruto blinked and then shook his head from his thoughts. He looked to see Jester was pointed to the distance so hurried forward. The rest of the minions followed dutifully behind him. The blond still had the yellow gemstones, but they were now in his pockets so he didn't have to let go of the book. He stepped forward onto a rocky cliff overlooking a deep chasm.

What the minion saw was down further in the ravine. It was the ruins of what looked to have once been a tower or castle. Ruble lay all around it and wisps of purple-black fog still drifted there while snow covered everything else as well. Yet as Naruto looked at the ruins he felt his mind flash and an image of a once grand if imposing tower as it stretched up to the sky bombarded his mind, only to vanish, replaced by the reality of the ruins.

"That's it," he whispered, his eyes glowing bright blue. He shook his head and turned to Shin. "We need to get down there," he stated. He didn't know why, he didn't even know how he knew, he just did. That was where he needed to go. The minions didn't question him, they were servants first and people second. They swiftly used the chain as a rope to help them descend down further towards the ruined tower.

Naruto followed, silent as the grave. He was curious about why he wanted to be here, and what he needed to find. Whatever it was called out to something within him, it bade it come and he obeyed the summons. Eventually when they reached the 'bottom' of the ravine Naruto looked up and could see the night sky. But as he did another image flared to life in his mind.

He saw the sky above as gleaming sunlight flittered down passed the spiky rocks and warmed his skin and he raised his hand, but his hand was different. It was now covered in silvery white shield shaped scales. He looked at his hand, garbed in black leather armor from his wrist to his forearm and segmented metal plates formed into claws over each of his fingers and thumbs. The vision faded soon after, and he saw his normal hand once more.

Naruto stood silently, examining his hand for a moment too long.

"Masta?" a minion questioned worriedly. The blond briefly glanced to his side, his eyes bright and luminescent as he turned and marched to the remains of the ancient tower. His feet carried him down a path he didn't know, yet somehow remembered. He briefly glanced here or there, and saw crystalline structures in his minds eye that vanished mere moments later, leaving rubble and ruin their wake.

He approached the ruined tower in a near daze. His eyes traveled all around as flashes of the grand tower appeared before him as if recovered from a far off dream. As he stepped upon the first step of the tower he stilled and placed his hand onto the side of the archway a vision of a great door appeared in his vision, the emblem of a great silvery dragon emblazoned across its surface, the vision faded like the others and he stepped inside.

Within he saw the remains of a hall, it'd been weathered and worn away by time but another vision showed him it in its splendor. A vast opening hallway, with high archways and burning fire pits to either side, red tapestries with now familiar silvery dragon emblems hung from the rafters, a red carpet lined the floor and led to the many different doorways around the entryway.

But the vision continued and Naruto saw a woman walk from one of the missing doors. She was a beautiful woman, with mahogany colored skin with long wild hair that framed her lovely face and was as dark as a ravens' feathers which were actually entwined in it, her eyes were bright yellow and expressive, and her full lips painted a deep purple, while her long fingernails were painted black and seemed almost like claws.

She wore a long dark purple cloak with black-feathers around her shoulders with two clasps holding it to her dress, a choker around her neck, a tight albeit short black dress with a plunging V-shaped neckline that exposed her cleavage and leather straps at her hips from which hung a pair of pouches, bicep length fingerless black gloves with silver rings around her fingers, and thigh high black boots with metal spiked heels, knee-guards, and toes.

The woman paused, a book clasped in a hand as she bowed her head to the blond.

"Morning sire," she offered playfully then seemed to fade away, vanishing into the aether as the world returned to its previously ruined state. _**'Branwen…'**_ a now familiar voice echoed in the depths of Naruto's mind. _**'A mighty shamaness… a good friend…'**_ the voice seemed to recall. Naruto shook his head to clear it and then continued forward, traveling to a still open doorway and saw the remains of a room.

Much like the before, he saw the room flash and now felt as if he were in the past. Only this time he was in an armory and he saw a man in black armor training near the back. The man was clearly tall with a black helmet that completely concealed his head, and black platemale armor, a brown leather belt with his scabbard and a few extra pouches to carry things, and a long tattered purple cape, which hung from his shoulders with stylized skull broaches at chest plate.

The man hefted a mighty looking bastard sword up only to pause at the sight of him then turn. He bowed at the waist for a moment, and then returned to his training as the armory withered away and the warrior also vanished into the aether as well. _**'Malcolm, the Black Knight… loyal to the end…'**_ the voice rumbled within his mind. Naruto grit his teeth and shook it away as he turned and then looked for anything else.

He saw a set of stairs and hurried down them.

As he stepped down the stairs the world wavered and changed, till finally he stepped into a large room. _**'The Heart Chamber,'**_ the deep voice in his mind stated and yet a skeleton that sat near the back of the room took his attention. It would seem normal to most; save for the bones at it's back for large wings. Naruto also took note of its clothes and distinct armor and that caused him to pull open the book and look for one name in particular.

"William Black," he whispered and looked back up. The skeleton was clearly that of his ancestor, the 'Dragon Lord' whom held the blood of dragons and passed it down to the rest of his line. Naruto glanced at the minions briefly, and then stepped forward towards the skeleton, taking note that it remained relatively whole despite the centuries it'd sat there. Then again, the story for William did say he died in this way…

' _ **Welcome,'**_ the deep voice in his mind flared. The skeleton didn't move, but its eyes suddenly flared to life, purple balls of light in its hollow eye sockets. Naruto paused and then turned to the Minions, however they seemed to be frozen in place. Naruto then turned back to the skeletal remains of his ancestor and exhaled a shaky breath.

"You're William Black?" he questioned.

' _ **I was… once…'**_ the voice replied. _**'But I have also… had many other names… since then,'**_ it admitted. _**'I cannot truly die… my spirit returns to the Void… there it is reborn… passed on… from family member… to family member… the blood of the dragon… my blood… it stays with them… it does not fade… it does not skip generations… it waits… patiently… until I am reborn anew…'**_ the voice explained.

Naruto stared at it, before it dawned on him what he was talking too.

"You're the aspect of the void, the dragon that first became William Black," he realized. He then stepped forward and knelt before the skeleton. "But why did you call me here?" he questioned. The purple balls of light flared brightly in response.

' _ **The one known as Gnarl… and the one known as Betrayer… their actions threaten my continued existence… our existence…'**_ the dragon aspect replied. Naruto blinked and then raised a brow.

"But you're an aspect," he remarked as he sat down in front of the skeleton. Given the kind of punishment it took to kill the aspects on Azeroth, he doubted it was easy to kill this thing that skipped down the generations of the family.

' _ **I am… forever bound… to the blood of our family… should it cease… so too… shall I…'**_ the dragon replied. Naruto frowned in response, that didn't sound quite right to him.

"But isn't the Betrayer a relative… and the Over-Lady," he remarked with a frown. The Betrayer was once known as Noble Black, and he did come from the line after William was around. That would mean he had to have some trace of the dragon's blood… right? However the dragon aspect's eyes, as that was all they could be, suddenly flared in fury.

' _ **The one… known as Betrayer… has no blood… he is already dead… his spirit lingers on in this world… as a lich… the one known as Over-Lady… is a puppet… her line is weak… I will not be controlled… by the weak… nor will that trog Gnarl have me… as his slave…'**_ the aspect explained and Naruto made an oh with his mouth. That made sense, the aspects were supposed to be quite proud after all.

"Then why summon me down here?" Naruto questioned. "I mean no offense but I'm not really the best person to look too if you want to protect yourself," he remarked. He was 12 for one thing, not to mention he was basically the dead last in the academy, and could barely hunt to save his own life… how was he supposed to protect a dragon's life? The eyes seemed to dim as they looked out at him.

' _ **Why indeed… but do you not wonder… why it is… that I say… Us?'**_ it offered in question. Naruto blinked for a moment and then tilted his head. He'd figured he'd meant that as in 'the family' or something. But that wouldn't make sense seeing as some members of the bloodline appeared to be… well… bad. Were they bad? He frowned in thought for a moment, then felt his eyes widen as realization suddenly dawned on him.

"W-wait! Are you saying that _**I'm**_ supposed to be _**you**_!?" he demanded. The last time he checked he had weird ears, sure, but he was certainly not a dragon! Let alone a Dragon Aspect of all things! Although… that would actually explain his ears… and his eyes… and his fangs… and why he had to file his nails all the time… and why the voice popped up at the back of his head… not to mention a lot of his stranger dreams over the years…

' _ **Aye… I am you… you are me… your desires are mine… my desires are yours… we are one and the same…'**_ the aspect replied. Naruto sat in stunned silence as he tried to absorb that bit of information. However he couldn't quite comprehend actually being an aspect. Besides…

"H-how am I talking to you!?" he demanded. Because last time he checked he couldn't talk to himself without being crazy. He was definitely not crazy and this dragon was definitely talking to him. He heard an amused chuckle at first and growled low in his throat as he looked at the eyes. "Don't laugh at me… or… yourself? Urgh, I don't know!" he growled and threw his hands into the air. The eyes seemed to brighten.

' _ **Some of our traits… are more prominent… than others…'**_ it remarked. Naruto frowned.

"So I got the pranking thing from you," he questioned. The dragon just chuckled again and he shook his head. "Wonderful!" he complained and crossed his arms. "But that doesn't explain how you're talking to me if I am you," he reminded. The aspect was silent as its eyes dimmed yet again.

' _ **I am the aspect of the Void… wherever the void has touched… my power is at its greatest… as such… in a place such as this… I am able to communicate… with my conscious mind…'**_ the dragon explained. The way it worded that caught Naruto off guard as it gave him an idea.

"You only exist as my sub-conscious," he reasoned. The dragon was silent, but it did not deny his statement. Naruto leaned back and placed a hand to his head. "I'm talking to my subconscious… wonderful," he murmured and then looked at the eyes curiously. "Could you maybe be something more than just eyes? It's kind of creepy," he admitted. At first the eyes suddenly dimmed then vanished.

Naruto blinked and wondered if he'd insulted the dragon or something. "Uh… hello?" he questioned and stood up. He then felt the ground quiver and shake and the walls seem to stretch out and expand. He heard a low rumbling sound echo all around him and looked up as two glowing purple eyes opened in the darkness. Then he saw a pair of massive wings open, torn purple membrane stretching well into what felt like infinity.

The creature he saw was simply put _**massive**_ , its body was long, it had only a pair of wings, a head, a pair of arms, and a tail that seemed to wrap around the entire room several times over. It's scales were primarily silvery white and vaguely shield shaped, with a deep purple underbelly and spikes along its spine / tail. It's head was long and narrow with a pair of long fangs, two long horns, and what looked like pointed ears.

Somewhere in Naruto, he felt a childlike bit of gratification at the sheer size of what was supposed to be his 'true self'. _'Who the fuck are you all calling short? I'm just compact you stupid bastards!'_ the very childish part of his brain declared with a bit of maniacal laughter. He shook his head of such thoughts. He still wasn't entirely sure this was really happening; although he did kind of think it'd be cool if it were.

"Whoa," Naruto mumbled with wide eyes. The beast grinned in response and leaned its head down and dug its nose under his feet and picked him up onto its snout. It then raised its head, though kept its eyes trained on the blond boy. Naruto himself stared at the dragon and then looked down warily. "Oh boy, we're really high up," he murmured fearfully yet the dragon chuckled.

" _ **Worry not, you are in no danger,"**_ the dragon said in a placating tone. Its voice was deep, yet held a whispery quality to it. It made it hard to discern its gender too as it also had no visible masculine or feminine traits. It was a long thin creature kind of like a snake actually, which was odd given his hatred of snakes. _**"I am not like a Snake,"**_ the dragon deadpanned, _**"Snakes only wish they could match my magnificence,"**_ the dragon stated.

' _Well if nothing else it's definitely a dragon aspect,'_ Naruto internally remarked. It certainly had the ego of one… and it could probably hear his thoughts. _'Crap,'_ he thought with wide eyes as the dragon looked down its snout at him.

" _ **Indeed I can,"**_ the dragon stated with an amused smirk. _**"Though I beg you to worry not, I do not begrudge your thoughts, I am indeed quite vain,"**_ it admitted with a nod. _**"But do not compare me to those mortal aspects of Azeroth,"**_ it grumbled and narrowed its eyes, _**"they have the power of aspects, but I am nothing like them,"**_ it stated fiercely. Naruto gulped and looked up with a nervous chuckle in response.

"Y-yeah sure," Naruto mumbled then looked back at… himself… "S-so are you a male or female?" he asked. He was curious because… well… some dragons tended to take on the forms of men, but were female, and vice-versa was also true. At least the ones on Azeroth did… _'And he just told me not to compare him to them,'_ he reminded himself with a grimace. Thankfully the dragon simply rolled its eyes.

" _ **Neither,"**_ the dragon replied. Naruto let out a confused 'huh' in response. _**"I am the only Void Dragon, there are no others, I am neither male nor female as you mortals know them. In my many lives I have been male and female also, but as for my true form, it is neither for I represent a perpetual concept,"**_ it explained. Naruto tried to digest that, and eventually shook his head as he started to get a headache from it.

"Right," he murmured and rubbed his temples. That was the most confusing explanation for anything he'd ever heard… and he still didn't know what it meant. _'I mean c'mon, how am I supposed to know what any of that means?'_ he wondered then shook his head and looked at the dragon's eyes. "If I'm you, then how come my eyes aren't purple?" he questioned, the void aspect rolled said eyes in response.

" _ **They are,"**_ he replied, then cut off Naruto's next question, _**"but they are a very light shade of violet, once you fully accept our true power they will darken to my color,"**_ he explained and Naruto frowned. Truth be told he liked his eyes, they reminded him of his mother Sylvanas. _**"It is a family trait actually, our mother and grandmother's eyes were also violet,"**_ it suddenly admitted, which caught the blond off guard.

"You… you knew Kaa-San?" he questioned softly. The dragon closed its eyes in response.

" _ **Aye… I know all who are connected to my blood as kin,"**_ it admitted, _**"and just as she was your mother, she is also mine,"**_ it reminded the blond then opened its eyes, which seemed to blaze with unbridled fury. _**"And I promise that those who murdered her, shall pay for it dearly,"**_ it rumbled ominously. Naruto blinked and felt the fury from the dragon well within him, he bit it down and breathed out a shaky breath in response.

"Who?" he asked quietly. The dragon's eyes suddenly looked to him and narrowed.

" _ **Ask the beast that dwells in our belly, it would know more than I,"**_ it remarked snidely. _'What?'_ Naruto wondered while the dragon closed its eyes once more. Naruto waited for the dragon to speak again, yet it remained silent as the grave. Eventually the blond started to fidget on its nose and rubbed his bicep.

"So what happens now," he questioned curiously. The dragon opened its eyes in response and then leaned its head back to the ground. Naruto slid from the dragon's snout and looked at it curiously as it raised its head once more.

" _ **Now,"**_ it began with a severe tone, _**"Now I awaken the power which has lain dormant within us since our birth, and we set out on our quest,"**_ it replied. Naruto blinked and then scratched at his hair in confusion.

"What quest would that be?" the blond questioned with a scratch of his head. The dragon snorted and then narrowed its eyes.

" _ **The quest to destroy Gnarl, stop the Betrayer, and end the fool who murdered our mother,"**_ it replied darkly, wisps of purple-black miasma rising from its nostrils. Naruto yelped in fright and backed away from the dragon with a nervous smile.

"N-now hold on a second there big guy!" he stated with his wrists raised, "um I'm sure your powers are great and all, b-but don't I get a say in any of this?" he questioned. However the dragon grinned in amusement.

" _ **Have you already forgotten?"**_ it questioned with its head tilted to one side, _**"I**_ **am** _ **you,"**_ it reminded and then seemed to surge towards him. Naruto gasped and abruptly woke up in front of the skeleton of William Black. He panted heavily and felt his heart thunder in his chest, then looked up as the shadows seemed to twist and writhe all around him. He slowly stood up and watched as those same shadows crawled towards him.

' _ **Soon our power will be awakened,'**_ the voice of the aspect echoed in his mind, _**'but that does not mean we will be at full strength,'**_ the dragon continued as the shadows wrapped around Naruto's legs. _**'It will take time for your body to become used to its true nature,'**_ it continued to drone. As it did Naruto yelped and kicked the shadows off of his feet, yet they didn't stop, instead surging faster and faster up his legs.

' _ **Take care, until your body has completed the change… you will be very vulnerable until then,'**_ the aspect stated warningly. Naruto heard but didn't pay it much mind as he tried to bat the shadows off of his arms. He also wondered if he had problems listening like the aspect clearly did! _**'Once you are reborn, take William's armor, it shall serve you well in the coming years,'**_ the aspect continued.

' _How about no! I don't care about his armor or anything else! I-I don't want to be you! I want to be me! I don't want to just disappear!'_ the blond thought desperately as the shadows wrapped around him entirely. The aspect chuckled in response and an oddly calming aura passed over him.

' _ **Worry not, I am but an echo of who we once were… back when we were truly alone, back when we had no purpose,'**_ the aspect remarked. _**'I would never steal your body, it is yours and I am but a single part of you. Though you think this will change you, you will still be you, just… more you than you had ever been before,'**_ the dragon whispered into his mind calmly as the blond fell to his knees.

He screamed as the shadows billowed outwards, covering everything in the deepest darkest shadows. The minions, the ruined tower, the bones of his ancestor, all became engulfed in darkness. Soon the blond roared, his already fanged teeth sharpening and growing longer, as did his finger and toenails and pointed ears. Then a bright spark of energy seemed to flow out of his mouth to hover in the air.

Naruto fell forward with a gasp and grasped at his chest while Magic spiral from his body and upwards through the ruined tower. The ball of light began to pulse and beat like a heart, slow and steady at first yet soon took a frantic pace, beating faster and faster and faster. Crystals from beneath the tower suddenly started to grow upwards, the yellow gemstones of the Overlord fell from his pockets and into the light, the bones of William Black seemed to twitch before they got up.

The armor and cloth it once wore fell away and the bones changed into a skeletal drake. The drake leaped forward and wrapped around the spark of light as several crystals burst out of the ground and flowed up into it. The skeletal drake wrapped its body around the ball of light and crystal, which started to pulse and then give off a slow and steady beat like a true heart within the skeletal drake's grasp.

As it did the Minions started to spasm and shake, then fell over into fetal positions as his magic washed over them, and caused them to glow. A slimy substance bubbled out of their skin and started to form allover their bodies, until it looked like they were concealed by eerie pods, which gave off an eerie fog and pulsed in tune with the beat of the new heart. A glow came from the pods and seemed to originate from the minions within them as they began to morph and change creating an eerie crying noise as they pulsed…

As they occurred the tower itself began to pulse, rock and crystal and stone were moved as the tower started to rebuild itself. Stairways and tunnels that had long since been collapsed were repaired, the rooms and architecture was also repaired, though not completely. Soon enough the tower was restored, but not to splendor it'd been in ages long since passed…

As it did Naruto fell forward with a gasp his breathing came in ragged pants as he raised his shaking hands to gaze at his new claws. He then reached those shaking hands to his now longer pointed ears and touched his longer sharper fangs with his tongue. However he then grimaced in pain and grasped at his shoulders as shadows burst from his back like a pair of great draconic wings, only to fall away to ash as he opened his eyes.

Only now they were a rich violet with a black sclera and a slitted white pupil. As the changes finished and everything started to settle, the blond shakily looked all around. He then took several slow and steady breathes before he suddenly fell forward into blissful unconsciousness. As he did one of the pod that held the minions began to split open, and a dark green yellow striped claw reached outwards and manic laughter filled the room…

00

 _ **NU**_ : _**Dark Lord Evolution**_ …

00

As Naruto slept and dreamed, several beings across the world who were sensitive to such things felt the stirring of power in the world. Gnarl was the first who felt cold shivers run up and down his spine, then of course was The Betrayer, Noble Fairchild, who grinned nastily when he felt what was coming. Yet… they were not the only ones who were able to feel the change and the stirring of old powers as they were returned to the land…

00

( **The** o **bard** u **s** " _ **The Bard**_ " **Tal** us **e** an…)

He'd been sitting at a bar when he felt the sudden stirring. The bar he was in was, plainly put, a rat hole of an establishment, which was probably being fair to the place given how it looked as if someone had pieced the place together while drunk. Granted though that this wasn't outside of the realm of possibility for these people. However our man at the counter suddenly sat up and then glanced around.

"Oh bloody 'ell what now?" he grumbled and rubbed his head with a pained grimace. He glanced at his drink and grunted. "More bloody voices from the fucking sky… just what I didn't need," he muttered to himself. Typically the man most often known as simply 'The Bard' only had to deal with a hangover after his bar trips. However it seemed as if the world itself had decided to instead gift him with an even bigger headache.

"Oh shut up ye git, s'not like I'm exactly the hero-ing type," he remarked with a frown. This was the man who'd come up with a scam to summon rats into peoples homes, then 'chase them off' in order to get free room and board after all… and of course also so he could have entertainment from any grateful unmarried, and some married, women. "Sod off! It's not like you're some prize ye'self mate!" the bard snarled at the sky.

He then leaned forward with a hand clasped to his head and muttered to himself about the irritating voices that echoed in the sky. The worst part about said voices being that it seemed like no one else could hear them. If the people of the Orkney Islands were a little bit brighter they might think Theo was insane. Thankfully though the lot of them were a bunch of idiots of the most extreme kind… for the most part.

"Ye'll get no argument from me mate, 'bout sums it right up," Theo murmured as he nursed a glass of booze and sighed. "Me mum fer instance thought a name like Theobardus was perfect reasonable," he began to explain and then leaned back and gulped down a shot of his booze. Theo then belched loudly and patted his chest. "Thing is she never took into account how cruel kids could be," he noted to seemingly no one.

He then turned to the side where another patron sat leaned forward.

"Know what I mean mate?" he questioned with a pat of the other man's back… then blinked as the other man fell to the side. Theo blinked for a moment then looked to the downed mans booze… "Waste not want not," he shrugged and grabbed the man's drink and threw it back as well. Unfortunately for Theo he underestimated the strength of the drink, his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell over backwards off of his stool…

Nigh instantly several patrons, and even the barkeep, seemed to pounce on Theo as well as the other unconscious man. They swiftly took anything of value from the both of them, thus leaving Theo with naught but his trousers and oddly enough even his lute before both he and the other man were tossed out into the mud. Theo would wake up a few hours later and then find himself stripped of his worldly possessions… again.

"Bloody fucking 'ell, I hate Mondays," he grumbled to himself and plopped his face back into the mud. _'You know you should get up, maybe find out what that stirring was,'_ a cultured voice spoke into his mind. He abruptly raised his head and glared at the sky. "Oh sod the bleedin' 'ell off, I'd rather not go on some epic fucking quest, once was more than enough fer me thanks," he stated and crossed his arms over his chest petulantly.

He then paused as a skeletal puppy with a spiked collar yipped at him.

"Oh, 'ey there little mate," he remarked with surprising cheer as he reached up to pet the bony puppy. It barked happily and then bounded around the man. "Ye know, if it weren't fer you, I'd swear the entire world was out to get me," he remarked. The bone-puppy barked in reply, bony tail wagging happily behind it. "Well c'mon 'en, I need some new clothes," Theo remarked with a frown.

It was just another day in the life of Theobardus Taluseon, or as he was better known, The Bard…

00

(Underworld…)

The Underworld, a system of caves dug out over seventy feet beneath the 'over-world' as some had come to call it. It was in this dark place that the many Dark Races of the lands had retreated too back during the first great schism. In doing so they had been freed from the constant wars and battles for territory that plagued their counterparts on a great many other worlds.

One such race are known as 'Dark Elves' or more specifically Drow.

These elves are dark of skin sharp of tongue, quick witted and brutally blunt when needed and very vain as well, partly a result of their great beauty. Their eyes gave off a glow in the dark and shined like gemstones, yet ironically they were a photosensitive race, barely able to stand the light from their centuries hidden in the dark. They also had hair that typically favored lighter colors than one would think, such as silver or white with the occasional blond or blue.

But the truth of this species was that they were evil to the core…

Truly evil, not misunderstood as some species and races were, no, these were truly vile beings. They were slavers, they were torturers, they were mages, and they were perfectly willing to lie, cheat, steal, or murder anyone or anything in order to get what they wanted. This was a race whose sole goal in life was to be better than their neighbor, typically by killing said neighbor.

Of course there are those in their race that are not so vile, there are certainly some which would gladly befriend others rather than enslave. However these are few and far between and these are the minority. The majority of Drow are a cruel twisted parody of their former race that has forever been lost to the light. Were an unwary traveler unlucky enough to stumble upon a Drow, they would likely die… if they were lucky…

But there is one sect of these vile creatures that differ from the rest. This sect worships the Void Aspect, known to them as their precious 'Dark Overseer'. To them it was the embodiment of power, eternal and undying. In their worship these Drow have forsaken their titles and wealth to fully dedicate themselves to their master, unlike the 'heathen' followers of the Spider-Goddess Lolth.

Among these followers is the High Priestess, a Drow of great beauty who once walked behind the 'Dark Overseer' during the first Great Schism. Back when he was still known as William Black and she was known as 'Akore' his ' first slave' having been a gift to him from her mother. She recalled those days surprisingly fondly as she saw them as having given her something greater than gold or status…

Those days gave her a path, and truth. That truth was that all that would exist would also end and only the void would remain. And as the void would remain, so too would the master of the Void, The Dark Overseer. Today like many other days, this high priestess is knelt before an alter with a depiction of the true form of the Dark Overseer perched upon it as she whispered a prayer.

Yet as she did she also felt something stir in the air and blinked her yellow-gold eyes open. She was dressed in an ornate 'robes' which were less than decent and merely seemed to be there to cover the bare minimum of her modesty… whatever little modesty she had. She was a Drow after all, and Drow were vain in the extreme, they knew they were beautiful and they used that against the unwary.

But regardless of her state of 'dress' the dark-elf woman felt the power surge through her body. It was familiar and comforting feeling in a way, one she hadn't felt in many thousand years. She looked around for a moment and then looked up to see the depiction of her lord and master's true form start to glow. She stared at the depiction in shock for only a moment before a nasty grin twisted across her face.

' _The master returns!'_ the Drow high priestess Ilphylene internally declared. She stood abruptly and hurried on her way, making her way to speak with her followers. She had to rally them together for the time of reckoning was finally at hand! If their Master had truly finally returned then she had things to do! Ensure his will was done, and destroy the heathen worshippers of the Spider-Hag, Lolth!

Which she'd probably do even without her master's return. She didn't want competition for the hearts and minds of their people after all. Besides, if her master was coming back he'd be happy with her for making his conquest easier this time! She'd waited 10,000 plus years for him now; she could hardly stand to wait any longer! Especially since she'd missed some of his previous returns; she swore she wouldn't miss this one as well!

With that firmly in mind she internally planned how best to dethrone, humiliate, torture, then kill her rival… what? Even if she had sworn her undying loyalty, and even her soul, to the Dark Overseer, she was still a Drow!

00

(?)

She was busy when it first hit her. A sudden intense feeling of familiarity she didn't quite understand. Her heart palpitated and her breath quickened, her face heated and her body lurched to the side… thus why she'd been caught. "Thief! Guards! Thief!" the noble whose pocket she tried to pick cried. _'Crap!'_ she thought and hurried away. Several armored guards chased after her of course, but she was nothing if not agile.

She saw a cart up ahead and ran up its length and leaped from it onto a roof. She looked back with a grin as the guards fell over and hurried across the rooftops. Sometimes her spry elfish heritage came in handy. She then gasped as she tripped over her own bootlaces into a roll and landed in a heap in a bundle of hay. She spat some of the hay out of her mouth and frowned.

Then her less than spry dwarven heritage decided to rear its ugly head…

It wouldn't be so bad if she'd gotten the good traits of either side of her family, but she seemed to get all the bad instead. She paused her thoughts and leaped to her feet to hurry off down the street. The guards were able to keep pace despite their earlier fall because she was short, that was because of the dwarven part of her blood, she was also thin, that was the elf part… it was annoying.

Elves were typically tall and willowy sure, but they weren't tiny like her. Dwarves were short and stocky of course, but they weren't scrawny like she was. The combination made it clear she was a half-breed, but she didn't have the best traits of the two races she came from. Her magic was sub-par, she was about as strong as her size suggested, she was both agile but also clumsy, and while she was inventive she was crap with machines.

If all that hadn't been bad enough her parents divorced one another not long after she was born and left her at an orphanage… an all-human orphanage… meaning she'd been the only 'Knife-Ear' for miles that they could pick on. Which they had mind you, a lot, they especially liked to pick on her for her ears, but as they started to get bigger they had also picked on her cause she was tiny.

The teasing about her height never stopped either, it got to the point she'd up and left the orphanage because it was just that annoying. She'd always been smaller than the other kids her age, and was even smaller than some of the younger ones too. She was twelve at the moment, going on thirteen actually, but she was definitely small for her age. She looked much younger and everyone in her village knew her by sight alone.

Not many people had heterochromatic eyes after all. One eye bright sapphire blue and the other eye a deep emerald green, it made her distinct and that was bad when you were a thief. So she'd often brush what black hair wasn't in her ponytail over her green eye to keep people from paying her any mind. It worked on what few people didn't know her, travelers mostly, not so much on everyone else.

Which is why she'd started traveling from town to town.

In most other towns people tended to right her off entirely as a child, which made it exceptionally easier to pick the pocket of some unwary noble or other. Especially since children were often out and about anyways. Who would both to take note of a little girl as she's walking by? The pickpocket thing she did today was a routine by this point, yet something had distracted her… but what?

"There she is!" one of the guards cried out. _'Think about it later, run now!'_ she thought as she took a breath and hurried through town. She looked to all sides for a plan of escape and finally saw one. She noticed a cart filled with hay off to the side and hurried towards it. She slipped under it and then hurried onwards towards the docks. She glanced back as a few of the guards slammed into the cart.

' _Heh, suckers,'_ she thought with a smile. She then turned her attention back to getting away and focused on reaching the docks. She slipped in and out of cover as she did, causing the guards to do more and more damage as they chased her. Sometimes her elvin heritage decided to be nice to her. It was often when she really needed it so she didn't care too much when her dwarf half threw a spanner in the works.

She yelped as a guard nearly grabbed her and then put on the speed. Her boots were old and second hand, worse the laces constantly came undone and she was lucky she only occasionally tripped. But to be fair it wasn't like there were too many boots made in her size, she was taller and thinner than a dwarf her age, but smaller than a human or elf child her age, so it made clothes a bit… iffy…

She'd settled on a large faded blue tunic that reached her knees and looked almost like a short off the shoulder dress on her frame, a pair of brown dwarven breeches which were a surprisingly good fit but only reached to her calves, an orange bandanna tied over her hair, a secondhand leather belt that was too large thus hung on her hips, with a large pouch at her hip, bandages around her forearms and hands, and of course her oversized boots.

Her clothes weren't exactly 'stylish' but they fit, which was more than she could usually say for her clothes.

She shook her head of such thoughts as she turned sharply into an alley. The guard that was following her was clad in heavy armor like the rest so slipped and slammed into the stall next to it. "My cabbages!" some random vendor exclaimed in dismay. She paused to raise a brow when she heard that. _'Wasn't that guy in the last village I visited,'_ she idly realized, then quickly shook her head and hurried on her way.

She hopped onto a box and leaped onto a higher one then leaped over a wall between her and the docks. She landed in a crouch on the other side with a grunt. _'Stuck the landing,'_ she noted and then hurried off. She glanced back a time or two but it seemed like she might've gotten away. "There she is!" _'Or not,'_ she thought as she ducked under a grab from a guard that came out of nowhere.

She then scurried away from the man and quickly looked about for a good ship. She saw a small one some men were unloading boxes of fruit off of and smiled brightly as the men exited off of the boat. _'There's my ticket out of here!'_ she thought as she shot at the boat and leaped at it. She landed and pulled a knife from her belt, which she quickly used to cut the mooring line and then pushed herself out to sea.

The guard fell from the dock and drabbed the boat, but his feet were still planted on the dock. The girl blinked, he blinked back, and then she grinned nastily. "Buh-bye," she stated with a wave as she then grabbed the edge of the boat and mule kicked him in the face with both feet. The man grunted and reached for his face, only to release the boat and slam his chin into the edge of the boat.

The girl hissed and winced as the man fell into the water and also managed to push her further out to sea. _'Ouch… I hope he's okay,'_ she thought worriedly, and then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him surface a distance away, sans armor though. _'Oh good, that's a load off my conscience,'_ she thought as she wiped at her brow. She then looked at the crate of fruit that was still on the boat.

She glanced around and then frowned as she used her knife the pry a board loose and looked inside. _'Oh gross,'_ she thought with a grimace as she pulled one of the fruits out with a clear look of disgust. "W-well beggars can't really be choosers," she remarked with a sigh as she started to eat the fruit. It caused a grimace to cross her face but she bore with it since she hadn't eaten in a while.

' _Ugh what happened back there? I practically had his purse in my hand,'_ she noted to herself with a frown. She then raised her bandage-covered hand to her chest and frowned. That strange feeling from earlier was still there, weaker now, but it was still present. She shook it off and then looked around the boat for the oars… when she couldn't find any she looked for a sail…

"Oh c'mon!" the little thief complained loudly as the boat drifted out to the open sea. She then kicked at the air and fell back with her arms crossed over her chest and narrowed eyes. Today really just wasn't her day.

00

(Under-Tower…)

He didn't know how long he was unconscious for, but however long it was he slowly started to rouse from his slumber. With a slow blink of his eyes Naruto awoke with a groan. He brought a hand to his head, and then wondered why it felt like he was getting knocked out so often lately. Between that 'Carnage' Minion and then his subconscious he seemed to have trouble staying awake.

' _Wait… I'm still me!'_ he suddenly realized with a start. He then grunted and got up to his feet and started to pat his body. Everything was still in place; he didn't seem to have grown any new appendages. _'Yet,'_ he internally remarked. He then blinked and looked at his new claws with a frown. _'I'm going to have to file these down later,'_ he decided, and then reached up to touch his longer pointed ears.

' _Oh man these 'll be hard to hide,'_ he noted with a grimace, although he did feel closer to Sylvanas now, which was kind of a bonus. Plus she couldn't call him tiny ear anymore. _'I guess he… I… we… whatever! The Dragon Aspect wasn't lying! I'm still me,'_ the blond noted to himself happily. It made him feel better about being different, as long as he was still himself he was fine with any changes that might come.

All at once, Naruto paused his thoughts and looked around at a sudden manic giggle.

He turned this way and that way as he saw shadows shift around him. He blinked and slowly looked all around the chamber. He noticed the new heart had finally settled into a slow steady beat, though that didn't exactly comfort him. He was somewhat curious about what the thing actually was or did, but he was more concerned that something new was running around and he didn't have any weapons.

A moment later he stepped back with a gasp as something climbed down the walls. It looked… vaguely like a minion, but it was vastly changed. This one was pure black with a few scattered green stripes across its body; its lower half was decidedly spider-like with the upper body of a more traditional Minion. It greatly resembled a green, but with long spikes growing off of its head like a strange kind of Mohawk.

The Spider-Minion lowered itself to the ground with a giggle and he finally took notice of the red war paint covering its face and body…

"C-Carnage?" he questioned warily as he backed away from the spider-minion. He hated snakes, but he'd also always hated Spiders almost as much. Both were poisonous and liked to sneak up on you and poison you after all… the only thing worse than spiders or snakes were ghosts… and only because he couldn't punch them!

"Yesss Masssta!" the spider hissed into a maniacal giggle. Naruto shivered in response and then heard a screech as another new minion flew over him and landed in a strange alcove. It was pure white unlike the spider-minion, with red stripes across its body, it looked a lot like a red too, save it's ears were bat like, and it now had a pair of large bat like wings in place of its arms. The minion screeched loudly and Naruto heard scurrying.

He turned around to see yet another new Minion showed up. This one was primarily orange in color, with brown stripes and bits of plants seeming to grow out of its body. Some of the plants formed into makeshift clothes while the rest just seemed to make up its body in general. The… 'Orange' Minions hurried forward and bowed before the blond with wide grins on their faces.

"Masta awake huway! Huway!" one cried out happily with a leap into the air and then started to giggle insanely.

"Masta!" another declared and ran to hug his waist. Naruto looked down at it in surprise then backed up as another started to bounce up and down.

"Masta awake! Masta awake!" it started to sing song cheerfully. Another of them then punched it to the side and they quickly devolved into a brawl. Naruto watched in shock then swore and ducked as yet another new minion nearly took his head off. The minion seemed to bounce off of the walls and floor like a living bolt of lightning; the only thing plainly visible about it being its colors, which were violet with a number of blue stripes.

Naruto blinked as someone cleared his or her throat from nearby. The blond looked around and then spotted a minion, but it was… different… somehow. It looked the most normal out of all of them thus far, save that its skin had turned gray. The minion also stood much straighter than the rest who tended to stand hunched over and its face seemed more… expressive than it'd been before.

"Good day to you, Master!" the minion declared with a grand bow. Naruto recognized the voice but stared at the minion incredulously.

"Jester?" he demanded. He then looked around warily as even more of the 'new' minions started to come out of the woodworks. In fact he gulped when he realized that there were actually more than when he had started out!

"Aye!" Jester declared with a wide grin, then paused to tap his chin, "Although, to be perfectly honest I don't feel like that name quite suits me anymore, especially not with my recently improved vocabulary and linguistics," he remarked and then gave a grand bow at the waist. "So permit me to rename myself Doc, master, your primary physician and part time advisor!" the newly renamed minion declared.

Naruto nodded his head dumbly, unsure what else to make of his current situation.

"W-what happened to all of you?" he questioned with wide draconic eyes.

"Permit me to answer that sire," a voice came, Naruto recognized the voice as Shin's, and saw the minion in question was also gray now. He was also seated beneath the new, well Naruto felt 'Dark Heart' seemed right, and was reading from The Black Book. He also had glasses on. _'Where did he get the glasses?'_ Naruto briefly wondered to himself as the gray then snapped his book shut and hopped to his feet and gave a curt bow.

"As it turns out the magic of a Dark Lord is very different from that of an Overlord," Shin admitted. He then grinned as he looked at the new followers his master had at his beck and call. "That difference caused our bodies to metamorphose into these new forms to better utilize the magic you used to empower us," he explained to the blond simply. Naruto squinted and then scratched his head.

"So the magic from the Heart made you different," he guessed. Shin nodded his head.

"Pretty much," he replied with a shrug. He then clicked his tongue as the minions started to dance around their new lord. "Unfortunately I'm not completely certain of the exact abilities of our new tribes… I suppose we'll just have to play it by ear for the time being. Although," he began and tapped his chin, "It would appear that we 'Gray' minions are simply smarter than the rest," he remarked with a shrug.

"Not like that's really all that different," Doc noted with a smirk. Shin nodded his head.

"Aye, Gnarl and Mortis had both turned gray from old age," he admitted. He then looked at the still stunned Naruto and smiled. "In any case sire, we've taken the liberty to explore our new home a bit, quite the nice place really," Shin noted with a nod of his head. "It's just dark enough for my liking without being overdone," he noted and several of the minions started to giggle.

"Right," Naruto replied unsurely. To be fair how did one respond to that? To any of this!

"Now come Sire," Shin began and pulled on Naruto's sleeve. "I think we should show you around the tower," he stated. Naruto arched a brow but followed behind the gray. Doc and the other minions followed behind them as well, although the 'Violet' minions made it a point to move about like bolts of lightning. _'Do they never slow down?'_ the blond wondered to himself as they hopped here and there.

"First Sire," Shin suddenly stated. Naruto blinked and looked down to the minion as he waved into the large entryway. "Is of course the main entryway," he declared. Naruto glanced up to see it greatly resembled the vision he'd had of the past. The biggest glaring difference was the lack of carpets and tapestries, but the area also seemed a bit plain now. Some of the arches and columns lacked designs, and the fire pits were empty.

"As you can see this area isn't quite all it could be," Shin remarked with a sigh. Naruto casually nodded his head as he looked around. He then followed Shin as he led him to the door to the armory. The armory, much like the entryway, was extremely barren, not a sign of any weapons, or armor, or even the training equipment it once had. "The Armory is also a bit empty as well," Shin continued then pulled Naruto off to the next room.

What they entered was what appeared to be a large library, however the upper half of it was still in shambles while the lower section had a distinct lack of books. Naruto also noticed that it was extremely dark, which wouldn't be good and that it was missing something else as well. "As your librarian sire I can't tell you how it pains me to see such a potentially magnificent library in such a pitiful state," Shin remarked dramatically.

Naruto raised a brow then rolled his eyes as Shin pulled him elsewhere. They exited back to the main entryway and entered a third and final chamber from the main entryway. The newest chamber seemed to have tables and benches made of stone as well as a few other things that confused the blond. He looked to Shin expectantly and the minion hummed as he looked all around the room.

"I believe this might be an apothecary of some sort," he remarked and then nodded, "and likely a place to enchant artifacts as well," he admitted. Naruto mutely hummed in response as he looked around.

"Kind of empty now," he remarked. Shin idly inclined his head with a slow nod.

"Aye, but once we get the tower really up and running I'm sure we'll find a use for the place," he mused. Naruto looked at him strangely then internally sighed as Shin grasped his sleeve and pulled him from the 'apothecary' room. They returned to the main entryway and then walked up a flight of stairs which wrapped around the outer portions of the room and went up.

They followed the first set of stairs up a way and paused as they came to a cut off, one path went up while two more led into small rooms to either side. "These appear to be some kind of studies or other small chambers, perhaps even closest for cleaning supplies and the like," Shin explained and Naruto made an Oh with his mouth. That made sense; they'd need somewhere to put their cleaning things after all.

"Carrying on," Shin then stated as they went up the flight of stairs and exited into a large room. Naruto looked around with wide eyes then glanced to his side as he passed by a throne made of stone. Said throne looked to be made of stone and also appeared decidedly uncomfortable. Pillars were lined up to either side of the room with large arches and two walkways overhead, he also noticed what looked like a small pool of water opposite the throne in a small enclosure.

"This is the Throne Room sire," Shin began and then motioned to the pool of water, "I believe that is supposed to be a scrying pool, Gnarl often had them set up in whatever tower we were living in at any given time," the gray minion explained. Naruto nodded in understanding. Sylvanas had mentioned scrying pools off handedly a few times, but she'd never gone into much detail about them.

"Moving on," Shin stated as they went up another set of stairs. _'Why is there so many stairs?'_ Naruto wondered to himself with a frown. It was kind of annoying having to walk everywhere in the place… especially with all the stairs. _'I am so learning a way to bypass these stupid stairs,'_ he decided resolutely. He paused his thoughts as they came into a large open room, a set of baths and a few side rooms visible here or there.

"I believe these are the living quarters, most likely for yourself and your mistress," he remarked and then tapped his chin, "Or mistresses if you prefer," he admitted. Naruto looked at the minion incredulously, but before he could ask what that meant he was pulled up yet another flight of stairs. Naruto had, by this point, decided that he hated stairs with a burning passion as they arrived on the roof of the tower.

"I believe this is something of a 'Lookout' of sorts," Shin admitted then clicked his tongue, "Although it hardly feels necessary given that the tower is underground," he remarked with a shake of his head. Naruto shrugged his shoulders, then sighed as they went back down through the tower. They arrived back at the entryway and Shin led him to a set of downward stairs directly across from the ones that led to the Heart Chamber.

They were silent as they went a short distance down into the next area of the tower.

"This appears to be the Forge… or would be," he admitted as they entered into a large empty chamber. "However as it is we currently don't have a smelter or even a way to light the forge since our reds turned into whites," he remarked. Naruto blinked and glanced back at said white minions who just flittered about the ceiling and then seemed to find dark corners to hide in… until someone tossed rocks at them anyways.

"Get out of me forge! You ruddy stupid bat-faced bastards!" a shrill female voice snarled at the Whites. They screeched and then leaped away as more rocks were tossed at them and Naruto looked down in surprise. "Shin I told ye not to bring any of ye stupid Bat blighters in 'ere, nor de Spider-y ones!" the minion in question, which was an actual female oddly enough, stated firmly.

She was a green, or at least her skin was green, with bright yellow eyes, and a feminine face that closely resembled a brown, she had hair which was red and pulled into a topknot while her bangs were swept to one side. She also wore clothes, which included a large pair of goggles on her head, a pair of thick smiths gloves, and a long Blacksmiths apron that might as well have been a dress on her tiny frame.

"Oh of course, I do apologize for them following us down here," Shin stated and then bowed his head, "Forgive me for the unwanted intrusion into your domain Ricket, but I was just showing the young master around is all and of course the other minions felt the need to follow," he explained articulately. Ricket shot a bemused look at him for a moment then blinked when she realized something.

"Masta?" the green femme-minion questioned. She then looked up at Naruto and gasped. "O-Oh dear! Forgive me for not noticing you sooner, sire," she pleaded and then gave a curtsy, "I'm Ricket, your tower Forge-Smith," she explained then frowned, "Course dats only since dem Orange buggars 'ould likely set 'emselves on fire if 'ey tried," she explained with a nod and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sides 'at, a brown is always best at being a blacksmith," she remarked with a nod and pointed a thumb at her chest. _'But she's green,'_ Naruto thought to himself, he then noticed an Orange's eyes flare brightly. The orange blinked a moment later as it looked at her with clear confusion.

"But yer green," it noted, echoing the blonds thoughts. The female 'brown' frowned; she then picked up a rock and hurled it at the Orange minion in question. The rock flew true and socked the orange in the face and caused it to stumble around drunkenly, much to the clear amusement of the other minions as they laughed at its misfortune. Naruto winced and made a note not to question the 'tribe' of the 'brown' female minion…

' _But she's still got green skin,'_ he thought to himself. Shin cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Err, quite," he noted and then looked to Naruto. "Come along sire, back to the Heart Chamber," he declared and walked off. Naruto followed behind him, his hands in his pockets as he did. He briefly glanced back at Ricket and the female minion was busy throttling a male minion that had tried to touch her in places she didn't like…

He shook his head and walked away before he started to question how he knew that.

Instead he focused on Shin as they walked back into the Heart Chamber. Naruto took a brief moment to look around and noticed that the place had also been renovated. What was most interesting about it however were the strange… things… that seemed to line the room, one looked like webbing, one looked like a plant pod, one looked sort of like a coiled rock, one was sparking, and the last was the most simple and nondescript.

"What are those?" he questioned with a point towards the… things. Shin blinked then glanced back and hummed as he saw what Naruto meant.

"Those are your Minion Hives sire, we made them as soon as we first woke up. They allow you to summon more of our tribes at any time you wish," Shin replied with a nod. Naruto made an 'oh' with his mouth. That explained why they looked to be almost color-coded anyways. Wait…

"What about Ricket then?" Naruto questioned, then paused, "And what tribe is she really from?" he added questioningly. Shin paused and then hummed softly.

"As far as we can tell her 'tribe' is Red, Brown, and Green," he admitted. Naruto looked at him in surprise and he shrugged. "She's strong and sturdy like a brown, she can resist heat like a red and has deadly aim, and of course she's fast on her feet and her skin is green," he explained. "We're currently under the assumption that she's the sum total remains of our original tribes," he admitted. Naruto slowly nodded and then frowned.

"And her hive?" he questioned. Shin coughed into a fist and looked up in response.

"We believe she reproduces in a more… natural sense," he responded. Naruto blinked in confusion for a moment and then blushed as he realized what Shin meant. "Yes… most of the grays are trying not to think about it. But several of the other minion tribes are very happy for it," the gray remarked with a shake of his head. Naruto looked away from the gray uncomfortably. He really didn't want to talk about that!

"So anything else to see around here?" he questioned swiftly. Although he'd probably say anything at this point if it got them off of that disturbing topic!

"Ah yes of course!" Shin declared. He honestly didn't want to broach that topic anymore than his master did. The fact they had a female minion was disturbing enough without having to think about everything that entailed. So he pushed that to the back of his mind and thought about what else he had to show his master… he was silent, his master was silent, the room was silent, save for the giggling of the other minions that is.

"Ahem," Doc noted with a smirk. Both Naruto and Shin turned to the oldest of the grays and he grinned widely. "Perhaps we could present the master with his armor now," he suggested. Shin blinked for a moment and then recollected his thoughts and hummed.

"I believe that Venom took them for cleaning," he remarked. Doc scratched his head for a moment and then nodded his head.

"Oh right, sorry, forgot about that," he admitted. Naruto looked at the both of them curiously.

"Wait… armor," he mumbled then recalled the armor his 'subconscious' had told him to use. "Do you guys mean William's old armor?" he questioned. The Gray minions nodded their heads and he stared at them incredulously. "Whoa, I'm not really the sharpest kunai out there, but shouldn't that leather have rotted by now?" he questioned of Shin in confusion. The gray librarian nodded his head.

"Yes actually, but the thing is it's not actually made of leather," he admitted as he adjusted his glasses, "and whatever it is made of, is tough in the extreme," he admitted. He then pointed at the armor with a frown. "We have had the minions try to rip or tear the stuff since we woke up yet there's not even a scratch on it!" he admitted. Naruto whistled in surprise and scratched his hair.

"Whoa, is it enchanted?" he questioned. Shin shrugged in response.

"Possible but unlikely," he replied with a shake of his head. Truth be told he'd been looking in the Black Book for information on what the armor was and what it was made out of. However aside from a brief mentioning in William Black's part of the book there were no clues. Even worse was the fact the brief mention in William's part was literally just said that it was 'oddly resistant to wear and tear' and nothing else!

"In any case," Shin began with a sigh, "for the time being Venom is cleaning the armor and working on some new clothes for you lord," he explained then smiled with a shake of his head. "And I dare say that Venom took to being part spider like a duck to water, he especially likes that he can make his own silk now," he noted and chuckled, "though as your personal tailor that makes a bit of sense," he remarked. Naruto frowned in response.

He glanced down at his current clothes, a hooded orange coat with white fur trim and a red spiral on his back, orange pants, blue Shinobi sandals, and of course his green goggles pulled down around his neck. Sure it probably wasn't the most stylish outfit but he liked it! "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" he demanded of the minion. Shin fixed him with a flat look in response.

"Bright orange does not really scream 'evil dark lord, fear me'," he replied bluntly. Naruto scoffed and crossed his arms petulantly. _'Jeez, if I didn't know better I'd swear that they were working with Sylvanas,'_ he thought with a deep frown. The undead elf had all but banned orange from his wardrobe after all. It was only because she was back in the Nexus that he could finally wear his favorite color again…

"Besides that Sire," Shin stated to regain the blond's attention. Naruto looked at his 'librarian' with a frown as he adjusted his glasses. "Perhaps we should go and visit the dungeons next," he considered with a grimace. Naruto noticed the look and arched a brow in confusion.

"Is there something wrong with the dungeons?" he questioned. Shin shuffled on his feet for a moment then sighed.

"Yes…" he admitted, "You see sire, the minions didn't just turn into the tribes you've seen thus far," he admitted, "The last tribe is just a bit too… wild, for indoors so we locked them in the dungeons 'till we can train them," he remarked in an uncomfortable tone. Naruto looked at him strangely, considering how wild the minions were that was probably really saying something about these other minions, but the blond was curious.

"Well let's go see 'em then," he stated and started to the only staircase he hadn't been down yet. Shin followed him with a groan and palmed his face with a shake of his head. Doc glanced at the other minions and bade them to hold as Naruto and the librarian went down into the dungeons. Truth be told none of them wanted another encounter with their 'insane cousins' after the last one…

Naruto and Shin walked down a relatively short staircase into a long cross-shaped corridor lined with cells to either side. Each cell was kept closed by heavy looking iron bars. Naruto first noticed something to the side as it skittered about in one of the cells. He slowly approached the bars only to swear as a dark-green yellow-striped Minion lunged out of the darkness.

"Holy shit!" Naruto swore with wide eyes. The minion wasn't just insane, it was clearly _**rabid**_ as it lashed and bit and clawed at the air as if trying to reach for him. Its eyes didn't glow yellow either, there was no magic in it at all, and instead its eyes were a bright crimson red. The 'Minion' snarled and started to make gibberish noises as it reached for him and laughed insanely.

"Yes…" Shin drawled with a frown. He then sighed as more of the creatures started to reach out of the other cells… in _**all**_ of the other cells. Naruto felt his eyes widen as he saw what could only be dozens of the little buggers all lashing out, laughing insanely, biting, clawing, and… singing? Yeah they were even singing… why he didn't know but they were… also what the hell was 'Hi-Ho' supposed to mean?

"Why are there so many of them?!" Naruto demanded as the 'minions' continued to rabidly try to bite or claw at him. There were quite a few of the other tribes of course, but this bordered on the insane! There hadn't been even half this many of the other tribes last he checked after all!

"They reproduce when they get wet…" Shin responded blandly. Naruto looked at him in confusion.

"How do you even know that?" he questioned warily. Although to be perfectly honest, at this point he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. Shin sighed in response and idly adjusted his glasses once more.

"One of the minions thought it would be funny to dump some water on them and see what happened," he admitted, "He didn't like the result," he added with a shake of his head. Naruto grimaced and then looked around warily.

"Uh… so what are these things?" he questioned. There was no way that these were still 'minions' after all. They were clearly rabid, feral, and uncontrollable, unlike the Minions who were more or less 'tame' when compared to these guys. Shin hummed in response.

"These are Gremlins sire, they aren't linked to you like a normal minion and have turned rabid as a result of a lack of magic. It's also why they are so much less intelligent than the more common Minions," he admitted. Naruto blinked at that tidbit and raised a brow.

"I thought you said all Minions were a species of Gremlin," he murmured. Shin idly nodded his head and then clicked his tongue.

"Aye, these are 'devolved' minions who didn't take to your magic so well," he remarked with a frown, "Truth be told there was only one of them at first, but then it got wet and more started to pop out of it," he stated with a sigh and shook his head. "In any case we barely managed to get them into these cells before they tore the tower apart," he noted with a shudder. Gremlins were not fun to fight, not even a Minion liked to fight them…

If there was ever a creature that embodied chaos itself made flesh then it was a Gremlin.

"How could these guys tear the tower apart?" Naruto questioned. The 'Gremlins' didn't look that dangerous to him. Sure they were clearly feral, not to mention rabid, but they were tiny stringy little things. Shin however shuddered and looked around warily. Several of the 'Gremlins' were looking at him with mocking grins. One in particular with a white Mohawk caught his eye and caused him to scowl.

"Never underestimate a gremlin sire," he stated in a deadly serious tone. Naruto, noting the seriousness of Shin's tone, decided not to question him further and just assume that the Gremlins were not something to toy with.

"So you're all planning to try and tame these things?" he questioned warily. He walked back towards the stairs, while the gremlins started to leap onto the bars of their cells… and then started to hump the bars for some reason.

"Aye, we think they'd make for decent shock-troops or cannon fodder if nothing else," the gray librarian remarked and then ushered Naruto back up the stairs. As they began to leave Naruto paused to look back into the dungeons one last time. The Mohawked 'Gremlin' caught his eye and grinned at him nastily with a sinister little laugh. Naruto shuddered as he turned away from ' _ **Stripe**_ ' and hurried back to the Heart Chamber.

He had a strange feeling that little devil would be a huge pain in his ass.

"In any case sire we've already started to look around the tower, cleaning what we can with whatever we can find," Shin noted as they returned to the Heart Chamber. Instantly Naruto was accosted by the other minions who started to move all around him and seemed… worried about him? _'Okay if these guys are worried then the Gremlins really are bad news,'_ Naruto thought to himself with wide eyes.

"Uh… right, good work guys," he murmured and noticed Doc smile from off to the side.

"Thank you sire," he replied, "we minions take great pride in getting a job done," he remarked, then grinned, "even if we sometimes take a detour or two," he admitted with a slightly insane giggle. Naruto regarded him warily for a moment and then saw Shin approach. The gray stood before him and offered him the Black Book. Naruto accepted and looked at the book with a soft expression.

"So what do we do now Sire?" the gray questioned curiously. Naruto raised a brow while Shin smirked. "We're your minions Master and we're perfectly willing to obey your ever command, simply give the word and it shall be done no matter what it is you ask of us," he explained with an animated gesture. Naruto silently nodded his head, then placed his hand against the cover of the Black Book…

"First I think I need to learn a few things about my family, and what I've become," he remarked then looked back to Shin, "Then I need a way to quickly get back to Konoha before the academy starts back up," he noted. Shin nodded his head and snapped his fingers. The minions gathered around him and he swiftly set them off to work. Once the minions were gone all that remained were Shin and Doc.

"And then what, Sire?" Doc questioned curiously. Naruto looked down at the book and his eyes started to blaze furiously… somewhere deep within him, the Dragon Aspect of the Void suddenly roared.

00

He sat alone in his home, he was hard at work dissecting a unique specimen when he suddenly felt the power wash over him. It was an old power, one he recognized fondly from a once good friend of his. The last time he'd felt that power had been so many centuries ago, which could mean only one thing. _'So he's been reborn again,'_ he internally remarked as he looked down at his experiment…

It was suddenly a lot less interesting to him.

As such he tossed his scalpel to the side, where it was then impaled in the wall of his home. He glanced at it then silently turned around and walked to a case of books and started to look through them. He paused every now and again to pick out a book and snap his fingers, causing it to vanish to parts unknown. Eventually he found a black book and nodded his head.

" _ **Ah here we are,"**_ he mused in a dark whispery rasp. He briefly opened the book and flipped through a few pages as he walked to his bedroom. He glanced at his bed to take note of the books he'd vanished sitting there on his bed. He turned from those books and instead he grabbed a nearby chain and used it to chain his black book to his side. With that done he knelt down at the foot of his bed and hefted open an old trunk…

He then waved a hand as dust flowed out of it in a decent sized cloud. The hooded figure briefly pondered on how long it'd been since he'd last opened the trunk. After a brief pause he realized that it'd been a very long time. _'Not since his last incarnation I'd wager,'_ he internally remarked and then shrugged his shoulders. He snapped his fingers and the books on his bed started to bounce and fall into the bottom of his trunk.

The made a perfect base, literally falling into perfectly neat little rows without any of them being out of place. The hooded figure nodded his head as he got up with a glance around his bedroom. _'What else will I need for my little trip,'_ he wondered to himself, _'certainly not food,'_ he noted with a internal chuckle. He then spotted a scythe hanging on his wall and made an 'ahh' noise.

He stood back up and walked to the wall then pulled the scythe free and swung it… thus embedding the blade in his wall. _**"Whoops, didn't mean for that to happen"**_ he mumbled and then scratched his hood. _**"I really do need more practice with this silly thing,"**_ he murmured under his breath as he placed a foot onto the wall and pulled back on the shaft of the scythe. After a moment of exertion he fell over backwards and then grunted.

" _ **Of course…"**_ he muttered to himself and sat up to brush off his cloak. He then grabbed the end of the scythe and used it to stand up. He then tried to shove the scythe into his trunk… then recalled its size. He palmed his face and sighed, and then he tapped on the scythe and caused it to shrink down to the size of a pen. He casually flipped the pen-sized scythe into the air and caught it, then put it into his trunk with a nod.

He started to move about his modest home, grabbing this or that. A few tools here or there, a relic he'd been using to prop up his table, an ancient scepter of power he'd turned into a coat rack, a few specimens he'd need for experiments later, the usual ashes of his more useful familiars, the innards of some random sod he'd filled with enough necrotic magic to blow up a small castle, and of course a tooth brush… basically just the essentials.

He hummed a soft tune as he continued to gather supplies for his next little adventure with his dear old friends latest incarnation. It'd been a long time since he'd last left his home though so he stopped to examine his garb… it was in less than stellar condition. _'No that won't do at all, if I know my old friend he'll be right in the thick of things soon enough,'_ he remarked with a shake of his head as he walked to an old closet.

He opened the door and waved a hand as dust spilled out of there as well. He blinked as he realized he hadn't cleaned anything in decades… _**"I need a wife,"**_ he stated randomly and tapped his chin. _**"How much effort would it take to clean it myself instead?"**_ he wondered briefly. He then frowned and hummed lightly. _**"How much effort does it take to build a maid?"**_ he considered instead and nodded his head.

" _ **Made to order maid it is,"**_ he decided, _**"after I get back of course,"**_ he added and then clicked his tongue. _**"Assuming this place is still standing by then that is,"**_ he casually remarked and then shook his head. _**"Concentrate, need to get ready to go greet my old friend,"**_ he stated and then started to look through the clothes in his closet. Eventually he found a tattered, but still wearable, white double-breasted coat with a hood and long tails.

" _ **Ah excellent,"**_ he remarked and then started to look around for one of his many display mannequins. _**"No,"**_ he murmured as he found one but it didn't have what he wanted. As such he tossed it away and started to look in another corner. _**"No,"**_ he grumbled as he found another mannequin but it was one he'd bound the soul of some poor sod too for annoying him with too many questions…

" _ **No!"**_ he growled out as he found yet another under his bed that had once been… huh… wasn't this one the one he'd carved out of a branch of the Shinju? He paused to consider that for a moment, as all he really recalled of that incident was some guy with horns throwing a tantrum when he'd hauled the tree limb off… _**"Meh,"**_ he started with a shrug and tossed the mannequin away and continued to search for one in particular.

Finally he found the mannequin he was looking for… in his living room.

" _ **Now how the bloody hell did you get all the way out here?"**_ he wondered with a scratch of his hood. _**"Did I cast some kind of an animation spell on this one?"**_ he briefly considered with a tap of his chin. He then shrugged his shoulders and pulled some black wooden gauntlets off of the mannequin, as well as a black wooden mask and pair of black wooden greaves to go with the rest of the set.

Aside from the odd coloration of the wood, the pieces of armor all seemed to have veins of glowing green energy pulsing through them. He started to hum once more as he walked back to his bedroom and put the 'armor' on his bed. He then removed his cloak and sat it too the side… and revealed that there had been nothing but a skeleton beneath it with glowing green emeralds for eyes and solid black bones.

The skeleton also had a carved stone where his heart should bee and twisting branches wrapped around his bones in place of muscles. He hummed, somehow, as he pulled off his current gauntlets and greaves and then slipped the new ones on, and then pulled on his coat and buttoned it up tight, chained his book to his side, placed his mask over his face, and raised his hood to shadow the mask.

" _ **There we go, all ready for anything,"**_ he stated with a nod of his head. He then walked back to his trunk and hummed for a moment. He then tapped it with his wooden foot and the trunk shrunk down to be hand sized. _**"Much better,"**_ he remarked as he knelt down and picked the shrunken trunk up. He then slipped it into one of his pockets and made his way out of his home.

He exited into a barren wasteland of death and decay.

" _ **I wonder if he's a girl this time,"**_ the 'man' randomly wondered to himself as he went off on his way. He ignored the bodies that littered the ground, not so much as a second glance given to any of them. He then chuckled and shook his head. _**"Although if he is I'd hope his little 'thief' is a guy this time, otherwise they'll need another surrogate,"**_ he remarked with a surprisingly fond tone.

He then sighed and 'closed his eyes', which amounted to the emeralds in his sockets dimming. He then went completely silent as he tried to get a fix on where his friend's incarnation was… After a moment the emeralds that made up his eyes flared brightly.

" _ **Bloody hell, I think he's back at the old tower,"**_ he murmured in surprise. _**"Well that's a pleasant surprise for once,"**_ he admitted to himself then clicked his teeth again. _**"I should hurry over there, no telling what kind of trouble he's getting himself into by now, especially if his little thief is alive as well,"**_ he remarked with a chuckle. His friend was bad enough about getting into trouble on his own, put him with the girl and it was a recipe for disaster…

It was a good thing he found that to be their best trait! Who needed a boring after life when you had friends like them! With that, and a final amused chuckle, he seemed to slip into the ground and vanished from sight entirely…

(Necrosis: _**"The Undead Necromancer"**_ …)

00

(Hi no Kuni…)

A rock moved in the forest surrounding Konoha. Soon after a tiny figure garbed in a dark blue outfit with a cloth wrapped around its head and face scurried out. The creature looked to either side and then swiftly helped a familiar blond out of the hole. Naruto grunted as he climbed out and then brushed himself off. He also couldn't help but note that it was nighttime, and yet he could see as if it were still daylight.

' _Must be my new eyes,'_ he mused to himself, having seen said eyes in the scrying pool before he left his tower. _'Probably going to need to wear my goggles a lot from now on,'_ he decided with a sigh. It wasn't too big a deal, he even thought his eyes looked pretty cool, but it was just another thing he needed to keep hidden. He had already been keeping Sylvanas a secret, now he had so much more to add to that list…

He shook his head of such thoughts. He needed to concentrate on getting home before someone noticed he was gone. Thankfully he hadn't had to wait too long for the Minions to find a way for him to get back. Their original tunnel was still intact and a bridge now linked the Under-Fields to his tower. _'My tower… that's kind of weird to say,'_ the blond mused to himself. Sure he ran an apartment building but this was very different.

"Welcome back, Master," the gray minion in the mask suddenly started. Naruto blinked and then nodded his head.

"What do I call you?" he questioned. The gray bowed at the waist.

"I'm known as Espio, former green now Spymaster," he responded. "I shall follow you into your village Master, we need set up a gate somewhere so that you can return to the tower discreetly," he remarked. Naruto blinked and then tapped his chin with a light hum of thought. _'I do have a ground floor room that's basically unusable,'_ he admitted to himself and slowly nodded his head.

"I know just the place," he stated then looked at Espio with a frown, "But getting you there might be a problem. Even if it's nighttime that doesn't mean that everyone is off the," the blond began; however Espio chuckled and then shimmered and vanished from sight entirely. "Or you could do that," Naruto murmured in surprise. He then watched as Espio reappeared with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Though gray now, still a green at heart," he stated with a nod. Naruto just nodded, though only half understood, then walked to Konoha. On his way he pulled on his goggles and manipulated the band to cover the points of his ears. _'Temporary solution at best, someone is going to notice that,'_ he thought with an internal sigh. It'd have to do for the time being. He kind of hoped that Sylvanas would something to hide his features.

Granted he didn't know when she'd pop back up but…

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he walked into the village proper. He briefly glanced around the nearly empty streets. He spotted a passerby here or there, but ignored them as he continued through the village. They barely glanced at him in return, before they also returned to what they had been doing prior. Naruto was, for once, glad that they didn't pay him any mind for once, given his new features it was a bit of a blessing.

His trek through the village soon led him to the 'Nindo-Hotel', which he ran. Technically it was an apartment building, not a hotel, but Nindo-Hotel had a better ring to it than Nindo-Apartments… maybe… he'd think on that later. For the moment he focused on finding the room he'd mentioned to Espio. He reached into his coat and pulled out the master set of keys and flipped through them for a moment.

Eventually he stopped at one and opened the door to one of the ground floor rooms. He quickly entered and then looked around. Of the apartments in his care this one was probably in the worst condition. It was old, moldy, smelly, and he'd never been able to get anyone to come down and clean it. So instead he'd just closed it off and asked the Hokage to get someone to shut off the water and such to it while leaving the others alone.

As such it was perfect for what Espio needed.

"Alright here's good," Naruto stated. Espio appeared a moment later and then scurried into the apartments bedroom. Naruto arched a brow then followed and saw Espio slip inside of the bedroom closet. "What are you doing?" he questioned. Espio looked out of the closet.

"Hide gate, no one see, no one find," he stated simply then ducked back inside the closet. Naruto inclined his head and then watched, as there was a flash of light within the closet. Espio came back out with a nod of his head a second later. "All done," he stated. Naruto rolled his eyes and glanced up. He should really get to bed soon, he still had to go hunting in the morning since he hadn't today…

"I'm going to head on to bed Espio," the blond reported with a yawn, "you heading back to the tower?" he questioned. The gray silently shook its head and then shimmered and vanished from sight. "Right, go do whatever it is you do," the blond mumbled with a scratch of his hair. He then yawned into his hand and opened the window a crack and then walked out of the apartment and locked the door behind him as he left.

He tiredly made his way to his own apartment on the second floor, briefly lifted his goggles to rub at his changed eyes, then replaced them on the off chance someone noticed them. Sylvanas had instilled a sort of paranoia in the blond about the need for secrecy, which he had taken to heart. As he walked into his apartment, he was glad for it as he saw the Hokage and a few others there looking around.

"Uhh… what's going on Jiji?" he questioned with a glance around. The Hokage turned instantly and then glanced at a Shinobi in a mask. The nin seemed to stare at Naruto then nod to the Hokage, who breathed a sigh of relief. The old man then smiled as he looked at the blond haired youth.

"I apologize for the intrusion Naruto, but your tenant noticed that you never came home and so came to ask me if I'd seen you. You can probably imagine my concern when I admitted I hadn't," the man replied. Naruto frowned at that and scratched his head. _'Why would Ten-chan be worried enough to go to Jiji? I go out hunting every now and then and she's never reported me missing before,'_ he noted to himself.

He then shook his head and smiled.

"I'm fine Jiji, just got a little carried away while exploring a cave," he noted with a smile. It wasn't even technically a lie, the minions had certainly carried him away after all, and the 'Under-Fields' were sort of a cave after all. The Hokage stared at him with a frown for a moment then motioned for the others in his apartment to leave. As they did Naruto stepped out of the way and yawned aloud.

"Naruto why were you gone so long?" the man questioned. The blond scratched his head in response.

"Uh… what do you mean?" he questioned. Honestly he hadn't been in the tower that long… had he? The hokage looked at him in confusion, a brow arched and then narrowed his eyes on the blond.

"Naruto you went missing yesterday, when you never came back Tenten came asking for you," he explained. The blond however internally groaned and then palmed his face. _'Ah, that explains it,'_ he admitted to himself. His hunting trips never lasted more than a day unless he was out with Sylvanas, in those cases he always told Tenten he'd be out for a couple days so her worry made more sense.

Living in a Shinobi village, one had to constantly be aware of where their friends were.

"Oh… sorry 'bout that Jiji, I fell asleep while I was out in the caves and lost track of time," he admitted. Again not false, he'd definitely lost track of time after being knocked out by the minions once then his own subconscious afterwards.

"I see," the old Hokage remarked with a frown. He then sighed and walked to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. He seemed to focus on his hand for a moment then smiled pleasantly. "Please try not to do that again Naruto, you have people who care about you," he reminded the boy. Naruto just scratched his cheek, and then winced as his nails cut into his face. The Hokage looked at the blond with a bemused expression when he saw the claws.

"I see you're still having trouble with your nails growing longer than you'd like," he remarked. The blond had had said trouble since he was little, with his nails growing longer and sharper than a normal persons did. The Hokage personally chalked it up to the Kyuubi's influence after being in the blond from a young age. But of course Naruto himself wasn't aware of this…

"Yeah, I'm going to trim 'em before I go to bed," the blond admitted with a frown as he looked at his hand. The Hokage nodded his head then patted Naruto on the shoulder one last time.

"Very well, be sure to get some rest Naruto," he stated then paused, "And don't go off without telling someone again," he ordered firmly. Naruto rolled his eyes in response and nodded his head.

"Sure thing Jiji," he replied with a thumbs up. The old man rolled his eyes in response and then walked off. As he left Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to his bathroom. The first thing he did was turn on the tap at his sink. He let it warm up for a moment and pulled his goggles down around his neck. He then splashed a bit of water on his face and sighed tiredly.

' _I really hate lying to Jiji,'_ he admitted to himself as he stared into his changed eyes. _'But I can't explain the minions, not unless I want to explain how I can understand them,'_ he noted to himself. He then inhaled a breath through his nose and exhaled through his mouth and picked up generic sandpaper file. He briefly ran it over his nails only to pause as it was cut in half… _'Very sharp,'_ he noted with wide eyes.

"Crap," he muttered and then set about finding a sturdier file to dull his nails…

00

(Konohagakure no Sato…)

Espio leaped across the buildings in Konoha, a minion on a mission. He searched for places that would have the things they would need for the tower. One such place that caught his eye was of course the library. Shin would probably kill him if he didn't at least try to pilfer the place of a few books and scrolls. The only problem was finding those books that wouldn't be missed.

Espio slipped inside the library through a partly open window and then started to search the place for what he needed. He ignored all the shelves in favor of backlogs and the book return. That way if the book went missing some random villager could get charged and they would never be any the wiser, thinking the book misplaced or lost or something of the like.

Espio found a few books, but he sifted through them for any that would be useful, of those he found a few and slipped them under his arm. The gray-green minion then scurried his way through the library, soon making his way down into the basement. He swiftly started to search and found a box labeled 'duplicates' and grinned as he saw a plethora of books within. Better, he found a second box and even one with scrolls…

' _Shin, need gate, close after send books and scrolls through,'_ Espio thought, sending a mental message to the other gray.

( _Of course Espio,_ ) the other gray replied. A moment later a circular basin seemed to open in the floor and Espio placed the books onto the gate. He then sent them off to the Tower with a mental command. Immediately they began to glow and then vanished with a soft chime like sound. As they vanished he heard Shin giggled in joy at the sigh of new books and rolled his eyes.

Espio didn't understand Shin's love of books, probably never would either. He was a simple Minion before he became a Gray, all he needed were orders to get done and a master to serve. He disagreed with Gnarl's way of doing things because it was wrong. A minion was meant to serve not to lead after all. The way Gnarl ran things was so wrong that Espio had to leave or risk trying to kill him… which probably wouldn't end well.

Greens were sneaky, but Gnarl was a clever old minion with Mortis on his side. No minion challenged Gnarl so long as he had the Overlord and Mortis on his side. The Overlord was their master, Mortis was capable of resurrecting Gnarl whenever he needed too and killing any unruly minions connected to the heart. Espio couldn't hunt Gnarl and try and survive at the same time, so he'd assisted in locating the new master instead.

Regardless he had more to seek out in this place.

' _Doc, close gate at library so no one find it,'_ he ordered. Doc sent an affirmative while Shin gushed over all the new books and scrolls he had to read. As the gate started to vanish Espio hurried out of the library and back out into the night. He briefly glanced back at the building and then continued on his way. He had a few more things he needed to find, the books were of course for the library, next they needed something for Ricket.

Doc would unfortunately have to find things for himself; Espio still didn't like the one-time jester all that much. He'd been one of the green minions that'd been forced to abandon 'The Betrayer' to the Infernal Abyss because of the idiot. Needless to say he'd be perfectly fine if Doc disappeared, but the nutty-minion was useful in escaping Gnarl so he put up with him for the time being to focus on his work and serving the master.

He focused on buildings with weapons and searched them for a smelter, and of course the other forging tools they'd need for the femme-minion. Much like the other grays, Espio wasn't sure what to make of Ricket. As far as minions went she was about average, loyal to the master, extremely dedicated to her position, and semi-insane. The only glaring difference between her and a normal minion was her gender.

Unfortunately Gender was a bit strange as far as minions were concerned. Having been made from a basically genderless asexual species like the Gremlins, it was no wonder that they had no females before now. How Ricket worked when compared to a normal minion was up for grabs, and honestly Espio hated unknowns more than he hated anything because they made things murky… in a bad way that is.

He shook his head of such thoughts and frowned. He thought too much now was his general opinion of his new tribe. Way too much for any normal minion, sure it made it easier to do his job but it also made it that much stranger to be a minion. He was a minion and that was his purpose, to serve and be a minion to his master, he shouldn't need more thoughts than that, nor should Shin or Doc but they did.

He paused those thoughts as he finally found a building with a smelter and forge-tools. He quickly made his way inside the building, ensured that no one was about, and then nodded his head. He closed his eyes and then concentrated on contacting the other minions again. _'Doc, found Smelter and forge-tools, open gate and send minions to collect,'_ he ordered.

He heard an affirmative from the other end while a gate opened up within the room. A few orange minions appeared afterwards and giggled madly. A second later and Ricket herself marched out of the gate and glanced around with a mad gleam to her yellow eyes. Espio was glad that Ricket was more of a proper Minion than he was now; she had a one tracked mind when it came to serving her master and doing her job like a minion should.

"Right 'en, you lot go get 'at smelter fer me!" she ordered. The orange minions giggled then scurried to the smelter and started to pick it up. "But careful wit' it or I'll tan ye hides!" the femme-minion cried out as she marched over to collect a few tools. As they did Espio considered his next course of action. He'd gotten Shin some books and scrolls, he'd found Ricket the tools for her craft, Venom could make his own silk…

' _Should probably explore,'_ he decided with a nod of his head. The village was large for a village and likely held secrets. Espio was perfect to find out those secrets. He didn't have the 'Chakra' the humans coveted in this age so wasn't seen by them or their 'sensors'. It made infiltration absurdly easy for the gray-green minion. Greens would also have the same ease, but they were much harder to control and smelled very bad unlike Espio.

As Ricket and her orange's finished gathering supplies and left through the gate, Espio sent a message to Doc to close that gate as well. Once it was closed the gray-green minion hurried out of the building. However he paused to grab a pair of goggles with telescopic lenses on his way out and put them on. He nodded to himself happily as he then hurried off into the night.

He used the goggles to look around the village as he passed buildings. He saw a rare few people were still awake, but one caught his attention. There below he saw a silver haired man with his dogs. But what really caught his attention was the scroll he had with him. He was speaking to one of his dogs as he lightly pricked its paw and placed it against a symbol on the scroll, Espio tried to get a better look, but grunted as the man closed the scroll.

He then watched as the man placed a glowing green hand onto the dogs paw and it was healed. The dog yipped and the silver haired man chuckled then walked a few paces away and then formed a few hand seals. He then placed his hand on the ground and symbols appeared on the ground as he somehow summoned the dog to him. The man then patted the dog on the head while Espio narrowed his eyes.

' _That could be useful, need to find out more about the Paper-Runes,'_ he decided as he leaped from his perch and continued into the depths of the village. His exploration eventually took him to the village dumping grounds, which caused him to smirk. He had Doc open another gate and send any available minions to help gather supplies for making the tower more livable.

An unlivable tower wasn't conducive to the comfort of their lord after all.

The gate opened soon after and several of the minions scurried out and started to make a ruckus. Espio growled and forced them to focus and do their jobs. Before he became a gray he'd never noticed how unfocused other minions were. He certainly hadn't noticed the ruckus they made when doing anything. He shook his head of such thoughts as the minions collected whatever salvage they could find and were sent home.

Much like the last few gates, that one was closed down as well and Espio leaped back into the village. This time however he headed back to the home of their master, he was almost certain that the blond would know something about the paper-runes. If not then he'd just have to hope Shin found something in one of his new books. He arrived back at the apartment building and slipped into his master's home easily enough.

He then slunk into his master's bedroom, where the said blond was lying comfortably underneath his covers. Espio was quick as he sidled up next to the blond and placed a hand over his mouth and woke him. "Master, what paper runes?" he questioned. The blond blinked at him tiredly, _'Paper runes?'_ he blearily wondered for a moment. _'Oh wait, Sylvanas called seals the same thing,'_ he recalled after a moment.

' _She also forced me to learn how to make 'em,'_ he also recalled, although despite that he did like seals. Tiredly he pulled Espio's claw from his face and yawned. He smacked his lips for a moment and then reached to his bedside table. Espio moved to the side as the blond opened a drawer and then pulled out a book with the words 'Sealing for dummies' emblazoned on the front and then fell back to sleep.

Espio took the book and gave a bow to the sleeping blond as he then made his way to the main gate in the room on the ground floor. He slipped into the apartment silently and then scurried to the gate and vanished. He reappeared in the tower and hurried to find Shin and tell him what he saw. Whatever those paper runes were, he was almost certain that they would be more versatile than the old Minion Gates the Overlords used…

00

(Under-Tower, Library…)

Shin hummed happily as he placed books onto shelves in the library. It was a lone, small corner of the grand library but it was still a portion of it he would look after. He hadn't gotten to properly do his job in a very long time either. Gnarl saw no point to libraries as he could teach the Overlord anything he needed. He also felt that books put 'too many ideas' into an Overlord's head…

Needless to say it was obvious why Shin had betrayed Gnarl. For one, Shin was the assigned librarian but he didn't have a library to work with under Gnarl. At the core of his being his duty was to maintain books and a library, without that he went more than a little mad. Regardless, he was at peace with his new lot in life. As he started to stack the scrolls in a convenient place when Espio walked into the room with Doc.

"Shin," the Minion Spymaster began and approached, "I found something we can use to one up Gnarl," he stated.

Shin blinked in surprise then walked over to his fellow gray minions.

"And that is?" he questioned. Espio produced the book he'd gotten from Naruto and handed it over to the bespectacled minion. Shin idly adjusted his glasses and took the offered book carefully. He opened it and then arched a brow. "Runes?" he questioned with a look at Espio. The spymaster nodded his head.

"Paper runes," he responded. Shin made a 'hmm' sound and rubbed his chin as he looked at the 'runes' curiously. He saw notes in the margins written in his master's scrawl. He could recognize it due to his link to his master. Which was another thing he'd missed since they'd left Gnarl and the Overlady. As Minions they lived to serve and that link was proof of their service to a master…

He shook his head and then noted how the 'runes' worked and slowly began to nod his head. He could see a number of applications for these runes. However as he found a chapter on arrays he became even more intrigued. Especially by the summoning array and started to grin as he read what it did. The ability to summon an object, or creature, from anywhere in the world, or yes, he could see how that would be useful!

"Yes… I see what you mean," he remarked and then tapped on the book with a finger. The notes on this array were especially long and arduous, and Shin had a few ideas on how to improve the basic array. _'We could potentially find a way to link the array to the heart and the master could summon anything linked to it at a moments notice, or even summon the heart if it's in danger,'_ the minion began to consider to himself.

"Give me some time to study this and I'll see what I can come up with," Shin stated distractedly and hopped off to study. As he did Doc and Espio glanced at one another.

"He sticks his head in too many books," Espio grumbled. Shin was smart, always had been, but Espio didn't see why he was so smart…

"Perhaps, but he has his uses," Doc replied. The once jester was far more forgiving of quirks than the spymaster. It was Shin's quirks which had allowed them to escape from Gnarl by removing their link to the heart and temporarily using the Overlord gems as a battery of sorts after all. Regardless both Gray minions heard a sudden commotion and turned to see Ricket stomping towards them.

"Alrigh' you bloody puss spewing bastards, which of ye' is ready to dive into the bleedin' depths of hell!" she demanded. The two gray minions blinked and then raised brows in confusion.

"Pardon me Ricket, but what are you on about?" Doc questioned. The 'brown' growled in response and stomped her foot into the ground.

"My forge! She's colder 'en a yeti's balls is wha' I'm on about!" she snarled, "I needs one of ya idjits ta find me some way ta get her running!" she insisted with a finger pointed at them. Doc sighed in response and then crossed his arms.

"Ricket we have no need of the forge at the moment, the master hasn't yet elected to go exploring through the underworld after all," he reminded. However the forge-smith snarled furiously and lunged at Doc, physically lifting the former brown over her head to snarl at him.

"Listen 'ere you gray git! I 'ave one job in d'is bloody place an' I can't do it without me forge!" She hissed fiercely. "So you are going to find me a way to use me forge, or I'll use ye skull as a bloody bowl for me breakfast!" she roared. She then brought Doc's face close to her own, "Got it?!" she demanded. He rapidly nodded his head with wide eyes while the femme-minion released him

He landed with a grunt while the femme-minion stood over him imperiously. She had her hands on her hips as she looked down and sniffed. "Good, till 'en I'mma go help Venom with those bits of armor," she remarked and walked away. As she did Doc gulped and rubbed at his throat with wide eyes.

"I now know why we never had female minions before," Doc remarked fearfully. Espio snorted and then shook his head. Sure Ricket was violent, but the Jester had been through a lot worse in his tenure as… well… a Jester. He'd think threats of physical violence, even from a female, would be less likely to frighten him.

"You've been threatened by Gnarl and others far more frightening," he reminded. Doc nodded his head and then shuddered

"Yes but something about it being a female made it that much more terrifying," he admitted with a shudder. Espio just shook his head again, whilst the physician of the Dark Lord got back to his feet. Doc briefly brushed himself off and then sighed. "In any case, I really should look for something for the Master to do later, so I suppose locating a heat source for Ricket qualifies," he mused to himself.

Espio idly inclined his head.

"As such I think I'll go find a map somewhere… or hope that the new heart can locate a nearby heat source for us," he murmured and then glanced back at Espio. "I believe that in the meantime you should return to our master and ensure he's safe in that village… I don't know why, but I don't trust that place," Doc remarked and then clicked his tongue, "Also please inform the master, that I'll need him for a check up," he added distractedly.

Espio frowned as Doc left, then grumbled to himself as he made his way to the Tower-Gate so he could return to Konoha. Although truth be told he agreed with Doc on one thing, something about Konoha was very fishy, especially some of the looks that their master got from the populous…

00

(Morning…)

Naurto awoke with a yawn; he rubbed at his eyes briefly and then slipped out of his bed. He sleepily walked passed Espio on his way to the bathroom to completely his morning rituals. The gray-green minion sat cross-legged at the foot of the blond's bed. He lightly coughed into his fist as the blond stumbled out of his bathroom with a bleary glance, and then walked to his closet.

He dressed in a black t-shirt with a red spiral and orange pants, then walked to his kitchen and started to make his breakfast. He blinked as he noticed that Espio was now sitting at his table and then yawned tiredly. Once his breakfast was ready he sat down to eat, still seemingly ignoring Espio as he did. Eventually when he finally finished his meal he inhaled a breath and fixed the spymaster with a look.

"Yes Espio?" he questioned tiredly. The gray-green minion sat up straight.

"Doc requests you come to the tower for a examination at the earliest convenience, also looking for way to light forge," the minion reported and Naruto frowned.

"Just make a fire," he stated flippantly. He then rubbed at his eyes but Espio shook his head.

"Unfortunately need a magical fire, better for imbuing magic into metal," Espio replied. Naruto blinked in response then shrugged. He wasn't taught anything about enchanting; he also had no clue about imbuing magic into metals… so he'd differ to the minions on this front.

"Okay," Naruto responded and then stretched his arms into the air. He then cracked his neck and smacked his lips. He then got up and went to collect some warm clothes so he could go out. He had quite a list of things to do after all. _'Like visit Ten-chan so she knows I'm okay, then put up fliers to show I have rooms for rent, go hunting for the nara, etcetera etcetera,'_ he noted to himself then looked at Espio.

"Well I have a few things I need to do today, so I'll see you later Espio," he stated with a wave and walked out the door. He then swiftly re-entered and walked back to his bedroom, he exited with his goggles, bow, and arrows and slipped them on. "Almost forgot," admitted with a nervous titter then went on his way. As he left Espio vanished and then followed after the blond to ensure nothing bad happened to him…

Naruto made his way down the steps and to the ground floor of the apartment building. He briefly yawned into his hand as he did and then slipped said hands into his coat pockets. He walked around the corner and then paused at one of the apartments. He then knocked on the door and sighed. He waited for a moment until the door opened and he smiled when he saw a familiar bun haired girl.

"Yo Ten-Chan," he stated. Tenten, his only tenant, blinked upon seeing him then narrowed her eyes.

"Naruto," she stated with a frown. Naruto winced and then cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Um… yeah, look I'm sorry if I worried you, but I got a little carried away in this cave system I found out in the forest," he explained. However the girl crossed her arms over her chest with a frown.

"Naruto, I don't care," she replied bluntly, then sighed, "Honestly I'm just glad your okay," she admitted as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Naruto grimaced and then chuckled lightly.

"You're just saying that cause I'm your landlord," he replied. Tenten rolled her eyes and then shook her head.

"Well you do have the lowest rates in the village," she admitted. Naruto fixed her with a look then shook his head as she snickered to herself. "Seriously though, don't go and get yourself hurt dofus," she ordered him softly. Naruto waved her off in response.

"Yeah yeah, anyways I'm going to go put up the fliers for our extra apartments again," he remarked. Tenten raised a brow in response.

"Wait…" she murmured then thought back a ways. She could recall that Naruto had, in fact, done this quite a few times before. Unfortunately it never seemed to help them drum up any new tenants. Though to be perfectly honest she didn't care, she liked how things were just fine… "Haven't you tried that before," she noted. Naruto nodded his head with a frown on his face.

"I've put up the fliers once every couple months to try to see if anyone wants to move in but it never takes," he admitted with a shrug. Given his rates were so much lower than most of the other apartments in town he found that very strange. Then again there was the fact that his apartment building was in the bad part of town to take into consideration.

"Right," Tenten murmured then smiled, "Need some help?" she questioned. Naruto waved her off in response.

"Nah I got, I'll be heading to the Nara's place afterwards and I'd rather you enjoy your day off," he replied. Tenten frowned and looked at him with a deadpan expression.

"That was yesterday," she reminded him. Naruto blinked in response then blushed and looked away from her.

"Oh right… I actually forgot I slept through most of it," he admitted more to himself than to Tenten. "Well then I'd rather you not have to worry about this before you have to go work at the forge," he amended. Tenten just shook her head in response with a bemused expression. She liked Naruto, as far as landlords she could've done a lot worse, but she also admitted he could be very silly sometimes.

Then again given how he lived, he was allowed to have a few quirks…

"I meant I could post them on my way to the shop," she remarked. Naruto blinked and then slowly nodded his head. "Great, where are they?" she questioned curiously. Naruto clicked his tongue then reached into his coat and pulled out a scroll. He then unraveled the scroll and unsealed a large stack of posters from it. "I don't thin we need that many," Tenten noted. Naruto nodded his head in agreement.

"Just take however many you think you'll need, I usually only post them in a few places but I bought 'em in bulk," he offered in explanation. Tenten made an 'oh' of understanding and nodded her head. She picked up a few of the fliers and then retreated into her home. As she did Naruto got a couple of his own and resealed the rest, then placed the scroll back into his coat.

The blond then set out to post the fliers wherever he felt they might draw attention. He picked new spots this time of course, though tried to stick to places that would draw attention. Yet as he posted the fliers he couldn't help but notice the sneers directed at the fliers. 'Great, probably not getting any new tenants this time either,' he thought to himself as he put up the last flier… which was then plucked from his hands.

"Huh, you know that's really cheap," he heard and turned to see a buxom purple haired woman. She wore a mesh leotard of sorts, or at least it looked like one to Naruto, but with an orange miniskirt, long tan trench coat, and black shin length sandals with AnBu greaves over them. She also had a Konoha Hittai-ate wrapped around her head, while her hair was pulled into a spiky bun and her brown eyes canned the flier.

"Yeah…" Naruto murmured unsurely, he'd seen the woman before on occasion. He only had to think back a moment to recall when. It was whenever he was out with Sylvanas-hime in the 'Forest of Death' for training. "Its kind of in the bad part of town," he admitted after a moment. The woman glanced at him and then arched a brow.

"So why do you live there?" she questioned. She knew who the boy was of course; you'd have to be stupid not to know Uzumaki Naruto whether by infamy or having been a victim of his pranks didn't matter. Naruto himself just smirked at the older-woman, not old woman of course, regardless of his stance that all perverts would die, he could recognize a beautiful woman when he saw one.

"I own the place," he deadpanned. The woman blinked and stared at him incredulously for a moment, then paused.

"Orphan?" she questioned. He frowned then nodded his head. It was a relatively unknown practice but certain orphans, who weren't adopted of course, were given a trade to help pay off their debt to the village and academy. For Naruto it was acting as the landlord of the apartment complex and putting seals on some weapons for the local smiths. For Tenten it was her work as a blacksmith's apprentice.

"Yeah," he responded curtly. She slowly nodded her head and then hummed. To be perfectly honest she'd been looking for a new place. She wanted to save some money on rent of course, but it was mostly because she hated her landlord. The pervert seemed to think she was playing 'hard to get' and was actually easy… she was not easy. She didn't even know _**why**_ every guy in Konoha thought she'd sleep with them at the drop of a hat!

"Mind if I check the place out before I make any decisions?" she questioned. Naruto clicked his tongue and glanced at the sky.

"After a while, I have to go hunt a deer right now," he admitted. The woman arched a brow in response.

"The Nara let you hunt their deer?" she questioned. Naruto idly pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her. She scanned the paper and was surprised to see it was a permit to hunt on the Nara Clans land. "Huh… didn't think they let anyone hunt on their land," she remarked casually. Naruto just chuckled in response.

"I think it's cause I'm quiet when I do and I don't prank them as a result," he remarked with a grin. The woman snorted and then openly laughed. She then shook her head and handed the permit back to the blond who slipped it into his coat. As he did the woman hummed and then nodded her head.

"Okay kid, I'mma follow you around till you can show me the apartment," she stated. Naruto looked at her strangely.

"Don't you have like… Shinobi things to do?" he questioned with a frown. The woman snorted in response. She worked with T&I on most days, and when she didn't she was on solo-missions. That said she only had 'Shinobi things to do' whenever she was bored or needed a little extra money… or more dango, cause you couldn't go wrong with dango!

"Nah, 'sides, might as well get to know my cute potential landlord," she responded playfully. Naruto blushed then muttered to himself.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he stated with a hand held out. Anko grasped it with a grin.

"Miterashi Anko!" she responded with a grin. Naruto nodded his head and then turned.

"Well if you want to follow me be advised I'll be making a few stops on the way," he noted. Anko raised a brow in response but followed the blond as he walked towards the Nara-Clan-Homes. As they went both of them received more than a few dirty looks from the average passerby. Anko wasn't too surprised, but Naruto was that she was getting hostile looks as well.

' _Huh… guess I'm not the only one after all,'_ the blond noted to himself. He then shook the thought off as they soon walked up to the Nara home. Naruto glanced back at Anko for a moment and then approached the door. He knocked on it and then waited for someone to answer. And waited. And waited… and waited some more… eventually someone finally arrived and opened the door.

It was a woman, Shikamaru's mother to be exact.

"Naruto," she stated pleasantly, then glanced at Anko with a frown, "Anko," she noted. The purple haired woman rolled her eyes while Naruto smiled.

"Hi Yoshino-San, I'm here for the usual," he remarked and tapped his bow. The Nara matriarch nodded with a smile.

"Have fun," she urged and he chuckled and walked off. As he did Anko hung back and looked to Yoshino curiously.

"So why do you guys let him hunt here?" she questioned with a scratch of her hair, "I know some Shinobi who've tried to pay you to let them," she admitted. Yoshino huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Those brutes use Jutsu to hunt deer," she responded bluntly. Anko blinked and then raised a brow. What idiot went with overkill like that? "And besides," Yoshino began with a soft frown, "My husband and I thought it'd help him in the long run," she admitted and then closed the door. _'What?'_ Anko wondered to herself and then shook her head and hurried after the blond haired youth.

She found him in the nearby forest, of course, and idly hummed as he started tracking. _'He has a little talent,'_ she noted to herself then sighed, _'but he's definitely no Inuzuka,'_ she admitted to herself. It was kind of an unfair comparison though. The Inuzuka had a natural advantage due to their noses. Not to mention they trained from an extremely young age in tracking.

Still she watched the blond and followed quietly. While she wasn't exactly the most 'stealth orientated' Kunoichi in Konoha, that honor went to her friend Kurenai, she would admit that she was light on her feet. Part of that was from training in Snake-Style, seeing as one had to be insanely flexible to use it, it also translated into being exceptionally light on her feet and quiet as she moved.

So it was no surprise she could sneak up on the blond… and honestly couldn't resist the opportunity to mess with him. She smiled cheekily and slowly approached him from behind then leaned next to him. "What're you doing?" she questioned and then watched him suck in a breath then exhale. _'Huh… he didn't freak out,'_ Anko noted to herself with a small amount of surprise.

For an academy student that was actually pretty impressive.

"Anko-San, please be quiet," Naruto whispered as he glanced back at her. Anko waved him off with a roll of her eyes. She then followed him as he finally spotted a deer and notched one of his arrows. The older woman watched as he fired at the deer, missed, and the creature scurried away. Anko couldn't help but look at the blond with a smirk.

"Missed Gaki," she noted. Naruto grunted in response and glared at her.

"You distracted me!" he insisted with a blush. She just rolled her eyes with a mad twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh am I too sexy for you gaki?" she questioned teasingly. Naruto twitched and then turned from the woman with a grumble. Anko snickered to herself and followed him as he started back into the forest to look for his prey. They found a deer three more times and three more times he missed his mark. Anko was by this point holding in laughter, as the blond seemed to turn redder and redder every time he missed.

"Want me to help?" she asked. Naruto twitched.

"I got it," he gritted out. Anko snickered to herself.

"Aw how cute," she teased. Naruto growled and then tried not to concentrate on her.

Which was annoyingly difficult as the blond himself found Anko to be infuriating. She was the type that liked to tease and he'd known that type before. Hell, he was that type himself! He just wasn't as good at it as Anko was. The woman also seemed extremely good at making him feel very uncomfortable. However he shook his head of such thoughts and focused on the deer in front of him intently…

Finally he managed to hit his mark and down a deer…

"And it only took you five tries," she sing songed and Naruto grunted.

"Shut up!" he growled at the woman. She just snickered in response while the blond marched to his kill. Anko followed behind him with a wide grin across her face. She could admit she was probably getting a little carried away by now. But it wasn't her fault that the blond was so fun to pick on! She then watched him pull a scroll from his coat and seal the carcass of the deer away.

"Alright, c'mon," he stated. Anko arched a brow and looked at him curiously.

"No more?" she questioned. Naruto shook his head in response.

"I only hunt enough that I help keep the population from getting too big. Besides that, this meat'll last me quite a while," he explained and then started off. Anko shrugged in response and followed behind him. She followed him passed the Nara compound and back into Konoha proper. This time they went towards a butcher shop in the bad part of town that Anko had never been too before…

Which was a crime, given all the great deals she saw displayed in the window.

Anko briefly noted a few things she'd definitely buy at some point then saw Naruto unseal his deer at the counter. A large beast of the man examined it and nodded as he took it to the back and Naruto turned around with a yawn. "Okay Yosuke will need a little time to get everything ready," Naruto noted and then hummed and adjusted his glasses over his eyes.

"So what do you do till then?" Anko questioned. Naruto turned on his heel and headed in the direction of the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

"I'll go and check around the Yamanaka Flower Shop for any good deals or order herbs and the like mostly," the blond admitted. Anko arched a brow at that but followed him silently to the Yamanakas' flower shop. Once inside she idly started to look around as Naruto did the same. He eventually grabbed a few plants and approached the checkout, which Anko noticed was manned by a blond girl.

"Ohayo Ino-chan," Naruto stated cheerfully. The blond girl blinked then raised a hand in greeting. "Do you know if my order has come in yet?" he questioned. Ino blinked at him and then hummed in thought.

"Let me check right quick," she murmured and then dropped down to check behind the counter for something. She soon stood back up and shook her head. "Sorry Naruto, no sign of your order yet," she responded. Naruto pouted then shook his head with a sigh.

"It's okay," he responded then motioned to what he'd collected. "I'll just grab these and go," he stated. Ino nodded then looked over what he'd collected.

"Seventy ryo," she noted plainly. Naruto grimaced but pulled out his frog wallet and paid the girl for the plants. "See you in the academy Naruto," she stated as he left. Anko followed once more, though looked at him strangely. Eventually the blond noticed her look and turned to stare back at her.

"What?" he questioned. Anko just shook her head and scratched her hair.

"Nothing Gaki," she responded as they headed towards a familiar ramen stand. "Hungry I see," she remarked with a grin. The blond's love of ramen was the stuff of legend after all. Even if he did seem to go to the little stand less often as of late he was still their most regular customer.

"Duh," Naruto replied bluntly. Anko rolled her eyes as they approached the Ichiraku Ramen stand and sat down. The blond placed his purchases from the flower shop to the side and sat down at the counter happily. He then inhaled a breath threw his noise with a smile. "Ah ramen," he began and ginned happily, "the food of the gods!" he declared, only for Anko to scoff as she sat beside him.

"Please Gaki," she began with a shake of her head, "if any food were of the gods it'd be Dango hands down," she stated with a nod. Naruto paused and then looked at the woman with an incredulous stare.

"Don't speak such heresy!" he shouted at her. She snickered to herself while a brown haired girl, clearly older than Naruto but younger than Anko, looked out from the back and then smiled brightly.

"Ohayo, Naruto-kun," the girl stated cheerfully. The blond turned to her with a smile.

"Ohayo, Ayame-Chan," the blond replied. Ichiraku Ayame then leaned forward on the counter.

"So what'll it be today Naruto?" she questioned. Naruto hummed in response and tapped his lip thoughtfully.

"I'll have the usual Ayame-chan," he replied after a moment of thought. The girl nodded and then glanced at Anko curiously.

"How bout you, what'll it be?" the girl questioned. Anko hummed and glanced at the menu for a moment.

"I'll have a miso ramen," she replied. Ayame nodded her head and walked into the back to place the order. As she did Anko glanced at Naruto curiously.

"So what's your usual?" she questioned. Naruto just stuck his tongue out at her. She smirked and a wicked grin stretched across her lips. "Don't stick that out unless you're prepared to use it Gaki," she playfully quipped. The boy sucked his tongue back into his mouth and blushed hotly. Anko snickered to herself while the blond crossed his arms and huffed petulantly.

The two sat in silence afterwards, Naruto impatiently waiting for his ramen while Anko yawned and tapped her foot. She also glanced at the little blond occasionally, and then blew a breath into her bangs. She frowned and started to tap on the counter with her fingers while Naruto swung his legs on the stool. Neither saw Espio, who was busy watching the cooks in the back to make sure they didn't poison his master.

He was a minion; it was his job to ensure his master's survival…

Thankfully Espio saw nothing truly untoward occur and so watched as the woman brought one bowl of noodles to the woman and one for his master, while the man in the back brought out another two for the blond. Anko raised a brow at that then watched as the blond proceeded to tear into the ramen with gusto. She watched the blond basically inhale the ramen as the two cooks headed back into the back.

Anko slowly ate her own, marveled by the ferocity of the blond boy's eating. _'I've seen an Akimichi eat and that was somehow less disturbing than this,'_ she thought to herself with wide eyes as the blond tore into his food. Once finished with one bowl he moved onto the next and proceeded to inhale it as well. Soon he'd finished all three bowels, but just then Ayame and her father walked back out each with another two bowels.

' _How many of those is he going to eat?'_ the woman demanded as he finished his sixth bowel and moved onto the next and hopefully last one. Once he finally finished he leaned back in his seat with a contented sigh. Anko glanced from the blond to the two cooks, Ayame smiled warmly while her father chuckled and headed back into the back. As he did Ayame leaned on the counter.

"Full Naruto?" she asked. Naruto chuckled in response.

"Not really, but I'm fine until I get home," he replied. Anko stared at him incredulously and hopped back to his feet. He then picked out some money from his pocket and handed it to the older girl. Anko took note of it and arched a brow in surprise. "Thanks for the food Ayame-Chan, I'll talk to you later!" he declared and then turned to Anko, "I'm heading back to Yosuke's," he told the woman then headed off.

As he did Anko looked to Ayame curiously.

"So he barely paid half as much as he'd need too for all that," she noted. Ayame nodded her head and sighed.

"When he was younger Naruto always came by and would basically eat everything he could," she noted and closed her eyes and collected Naruto's bowels. "He was always really lonely too so I started to just talk to him whenever he came by. Tou-san and I also eventually learned he was spending every scent he had on ramen, so we lowered the price for him so he could still buy other things for himself," she explained with a smile.

Anko blinked and then looked down.

"Didn't that cut into your profits?" she questioned. Ayame just shook her head.

"Some things are just more important than profit," she replied. Anko raised a brow, and then smiled softly. "Besides, everyone else still pays full price… which we raised to balance Naruto out," she noted pleasantly. Anko snorted and then groaned as she pulled the money from her pocket and handed it to the girl. "Thank you, and have a nice day," she stated as Anko got up and left the stand with a shake of her head.

She made her way to the butcher shop just as Naruto walked out with a few large sacks slung over his shoulder. "Got your meat I see," she remarked with a smirk. The blond child looked at her strangely, or he seemed to, his eyes were hard to make out behind his weird goggles.

"Yeah," he stated slowly then handed the bags to her. "Hold these while I get my plants," he stated. Anko frowned but did as bade. She held the sacks and glanced inside them curiously, honestly confused by the bag filled with bones. _'What the hell would he want bones for?'_ she wondered to herself. She then watched the child walk back out of the building with his plants and nod to the side.

"Back to the Nara place," he stated. Anko nodded and followed the blond. She also had to wonder how often he did this kind of thing. _'Kid gets around the village more than most Shinobi,'_ the woman noted to herself. Soon they walked back to the Nara house and Naruto knocked on the door. Soon, rather than Yoshino, it was Shikaku Nara who answered the door with a raised brow.

"Hey Mister Nara, got your things!" he stated. He then looked to Anko who handed him a sack but he shook his head. Anko tried the next and he nodded his head, and then handed the sack to the Nara man. Shikaku looked inside and then nodded his head.

"Thanks Naruto, nice to have someone make things less of a drag," the man remarked with a rub of his head. Anko snorted and Naruto grinned. "See ya later kid," the man stated and then closed the door. As he did Naruto turned and made his way back home, Anko following behind him. She idly scratched her head as they went, though she wasn't paying the looks they garnered from the others any mind.

Eventually they reached his apartment complex and Anko looked it over curiously. Naruto himself made his way up to his room, the older woman followed but stayed outside as the blond put his plants away. He also grabbed a key for the basement and then walked out and took the sacks from Anko. He tossed the one with bones into his apartment and then made his way to the basement.

Anko sighed and crossed her arms as she followed him, then blinked as he opened the basement. She looked around the doorway and noticed that it had seals carved into it. She raised a brow as they entered the main portion of the basement, and noticed that it was extremely cold. "What the hell?" she voiced with a look around, and noticed that a plethora of seals had been carved all over the place.

"I put seals in the place to turn the basement into a cold room for storage," Naruto explained as he hung his sack of deer meat on a hook near the back of the room. He then stretched his arms into the air. "Took me a few months to get it to work right, but I finally managed to get it done!" he declared with a grin. Anko hummed and then glanced around curiously as they walked out of the room, before she focused on the blond.

"So how'd you learn to use seals then?" she questioned curiously. Naurto hummed as he closed then locked the door behind them.

"Jiji gave me a book on seals when I told him I was interested in learning 'bout 'em," he admitted. He just failed to mention that he had only wanted to learn about seals because Sylvanas-Hime had all but forced him to learn after seeing them in action. Although she had called them 'Paper Runes' until she found out they could be put on anything in general and not just on paper.

Anko made an oh with her mouth then glanced at the door.

"And those seals on the doorway?" she questioned. Naruto glanced back then grinned.

"A little bit of ingenuity on my part, I made the seals to literally seal the door and keep the cold from getting out," he admitted with a proud smile. Anko arched a brow and then nodded her head slowly. _'Kid has a talent for seals, not really all that surprising given that he's an Uzumaki,'_ she noted to herself. She then placed a hand on her hip and grinned at the blond boy.

"So about those empty rooms?" she questioned. Naruto blinked then nodded his head. He motioned for her to follow and lead her up to one of the ground floor rooms near Tenten's place. He reached into his coat and pulled out the keys and opened the door to the apartment and led the woman inside. He waved an arm for her to follow and she glanced around with a hum.

"So it's not exactly the nicest place… or location," he remarked with a nervous grin, "but I can say that the neighbors won't bother you much. Between Tenten and me there isn't really anyone else here. Aside from that the place has all the amenities and it isn't falling apart or dirty. Um… can't really think of anything else to say," the blond admitted with a scratch of his head. Anko snorted and then snickered into her hand.

"Really selling me on the place Gaki," she remarked with a grin. Naruto huffed and then crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well at least I'm honest!" he replied hotly. Anko snorted into a laugh and then patted him on the head. She then smirked as he tore her hand from his head and growled lightly.

"Chill Gaki," she told him firmly and smiled, "I think I'll take the place off your hands," she stated. Naruto blinked in surprise and then tilted his head in confusion. "Aw c'mon, you aren't that great a salesmen, but I do admit you're interesting to be around," she stated with her arms crossed. Naruto just blinked and then grinned widely.

"Great!" he replied and then removed the key from his chain and tossed it to her. "Just remember that rent is due on the first of the month," he stated and then paused to tap his chin. "Oh and if you need any help Tenten is free occasionally when she isn't with her team or from her job with the blacksmith on Tuesdays and I'm free whenever I'm not out and about so feel free to ask for help if you need it," he remarked thoughtfully.

Anko just stared at him in surprise for a moment, and then shook her head.

"Nah its fine Gaki, I can handle it," she stated. Kage Bunshin would be more help to her than the blond kid; he was pretty small after all. However Naruto looked at her in surprise and then frowned deeply.

"You sure? I could make you some seals to carry everything," he remarked and Anko blinked and then tapped her chin.

"Well… alright Gaki, sure," she replied then grinned. "I'll accept your gracious offer to lend me aide good sir," she teased. Naruto shot her a look then rolled his eyes and followed her out of the apartment to collect her things…

00

(Under-Tower…)

Doc looked at the 'Dark Heart' with a hum. The 'drake' skeleton wrapped around it had opened its mouth. From its mouth a beam of light issued forth to produce a three-dimensional map on the floor. It was based on 'mana-pulses' which were issued by the tower to explore the caves. Unfortunately it didn't give a clear map of the entire Underworld, just what the pulse could reach.

' _We'll need the master to explore and send out more pulses himself if we want to have a more detailed map of the available terrain,'_ the former brown noted to himself. Having been with the Overlord as long as Gnarl, he was almost as informed as the older Brown in the ways of conquest. The major difference was that he was genuinely loyal to the Spirit of their master, their true master… although he was dead now, so that was pointless.

Doc shook his head of such thoughts and concentrated on the map. He noticed a few feint traces of magic, but he was looking for heat as well. 'Heat and magic… there has to be something like that somewhere down here, the master who made this tower wouldn't have a forge that didn't use enchanted flames,' he thought to himself with a frown. Due to Shin's book he'd learned a bit about the 'master' in question.

William Black, the first incarnation of the Abyss Dragon Aspect of the Void. He was the one who built this tower on top of an area somehow close to the void, which allowed his spirit to truly awaken. He had also been the one who first carved out the entirety of the Underworld to protect the Dark Races during the first great schism. He'd been a blacksmiths' apprentice and a master enchanter so it wouldn't make sense if he hadn't.

"Oi Doc!" he heard Ricket call and jumped with a yelp. He turned to see the femme-minion marching into the heart chamber and fidgeted worriedly. "Ye found somethin' yet?" she demanded. Doc fidgeted for a moment and looked anywhere but at the femme-minion for fear of what she'd do to him. However he then blinked when he saw something skirt the edge of the available map.

' _What?'_ he wondered and then narrowed his eyes on the map. He saw the same magical signature appear and turned away from Ricket fully. He used his connection to the Dark Heart to focus on the magic it located and then rubbed his chin. _'Minor flame magic, very minor,'_ he internally remarked. _'But still enough for Ricket's forge to be lit and maintained,'_ he noted with a nod of his head.

He then turned to Ricket.

"Is the master's armor cleaned?" he questioned then paused, "and did Venom make the master his new clothes?" he added. Ricket frowned then nodded her head.

"Aye ta both, Venom do good work wit a li'l push," she replied. Doc nodded his head absently and rubbed his chin. "What's it matter?" the femme-minion questioned. Doc hummed in response and then grinned.

"Because I just spotted a potential bit of magic which could be used to light your forge," he replied and then nodded his head, "And it'd be a perfect excuse for the master to explore and widen our map. I'm really quite curious on how this 'Underworld' works and what's down here," Doc admitted. Granted the story of William Black mentioned the Dark Races, but truth be told the Overlords had avoided them for some reason.

' _Something about the smell I think,'_ Doc mused to himself. He did know that of the 'Dark Races' only the Dark Elves were prominent in any age with an Overlord. The more famous ones like 'Orcs' or 'Goblins' having vanished from the surface to the underworld almost entirely. A few others had hidden away in the Underworld as well but others were simply eradicated by a few of the prior Overlords or even by bands of Heroes.

"Is 'at right?" Ricket questioned and then grabbed Doc by his shoulders, "D'en what are ye waiting fer? Call de Master an' get me forge running already!" the femme-minion snarled and Doc nodded his head rapidly. He also made a note to find out what it was that appeared to make female minions even more aggressive than their male counterparts…

00

(Knoha…)

Naruto sat in his apartment with a smile, idly eating a meal he'd prepared. Espio sat nearby, watching out the window for anyone who might try to spy on them. _'He's way too paranoid,'_ the blond thought to himself. He then shook his head of the thought and thought back instead to his new tenant. Helping her get everything set up had been fairly easy with seals, it'd also been nice to have someone new to talk too…

He then blinked as he heard something echo in his mind. _'What the hell?'_ he wondered for a moment then closed his eyes and concentrated. 'Hello?' he questioned warily.

( _Master? Is that you? Can you hear me? Does… does this thing even work?_ ) the voice of Doc echoed. Naruto nearly fell back in surprise at first, and then looked around warily. In his defense he usually didn't have people talking to him in his head!

"Uh… Doc how're you doing that?" he questioned. He heard the gray in question breathe a sigh of relief.

( _Oh good, everything's working properly then,_ ) he remarked. Naruto frowned darkly.

"How are you talking to me," he stated deliberately.

( _The Dark Heart is linked to you sire, so I'm using it to project a message to you in real time,_ ) the physician replied chipperly. It caused Naruto to blink and hum.

"Is there a distance to that?" he questioned. Doc hummed in response.

( _I'm… not actually sure, the Overlord's variant was a little different to your Dark Heart after all,_ ) he admitted. Naruto grunted in response and then rubbed his temples.

"What'd you need anyways Doc?" he questioned impatiently.

( _Ah yes, straight to the point! You see sire I've been keeping an eye out for some magic we could use to light the forge,_ ) Doc began and Naruto grunted.

"Yeah, Espio mentioned you needed magical fire or something," he remarked and Doc gave an affirmative. "So what does that have to do with me?" he questioned. If the minions expected him to make fire… well actually it'd be kind of cool if he could do that. It'd certainly make him a lot more effective as a Shinobi…

( _To be blunt sire I've located a suspicious energy signature east of the tower in some of the nearby caves,_ ) Doc replied and chuckled nervously, ( _I was rather hoping to have you come retrieve your armor and new clothes and go look for it,_ ) he admitted. Naruto raised a brow and scratched his head.

' _Why would I need the new clothes for that? I can kind of understand the armor…'_ he admitted to himself then shook his head. "Right, so is that all you need?" he questioned. Exploring the caves for a mage-fire or whatever it turned out it was didn't sound too harrowing after all. It also wasn't like he had much else he needed to do today. He'd already gotten all of that out of the way…

( _Pretty much,_ ) Doc admitted, ( _Though I'd like to give you a physical exam afterwards,_ ) he murmured with a hum.

"Right, well I guess I can stop by and help," the blond remarked with a sigh. It wasn't that he didn't like about the minions; just that they were all a little… strange… which was really saying something considering how strange he was.

( _I'll have Venom and Ricket prepare your things for your arrival then sire!_ ) the gray replied and the link cut out. Naruto sighed in response then looked to Espio.

"We're heading back to the tower," he remarked as he walked to get his things together. _'Let's see now, goggles, check. Coat, check. Boots, check. All right time to go,'_ he thought as he walked out of his bedroom garbed in his stuff. He left his bow and quiver behind of course, as he didn't really think it'd be all that useful in the caves. They were useful in the open areas, but if he was exploring the actual caves that wasn't going to help.

He looked to Espio when he was ready and the two of them made their way down to the room where they'd placed the gate. Naruto opened the door then glanced around cautiously. He couldn't imagine that being caught would end well for him after all. Still he squared his shoulders and entered through the door and then locked it behind them. He then made his way to the closet and walked onto the gate with Espio.

The two vanished in a shower of sparks, only to reappear on a raised dais outside of the tower. Naruto blinked in surprise and then noticed that the gate was at the end of a long bridge connected to the tower. _'Probably on the off chance someone tries to get into the tower through one of the gates,'_ Naruto remarked. It'd be a decent way to defend against attack after all.

The two made their way across the bridge and waited as a pillar moved to the side to allow them entrance. Naruto stepped inside then circled around the pool of water in the throne room. He'd known about the bridge before of course as he'd used it to get back to Konoha earlier, it was just the gate that was new. Still as the pillar closed behind them he looked up as Doc and Ricket, as well as a Spider-Minion, approached with a bundle.

"Welcome back Matsta!" Ricket declared brightly. Naruto reached up to lower his goggles around his neck and grinned nervously.

"Uh… yeah," he replied slowly then looked to Doc and the Spider-Minion. "So you wanted me to explore?" he questioned. Doc nodded his head then elbowed the Spider-Minion, which glared and hissed at him. Doc recoiled while the Spider-Minion stepped forward and handed the blond the bundle it was carrying. Naruto instantly took note that it was made up mostly of black clothes and his armor, but there was also some orange.

"Hey cool there's still orange!" he declared happily. Sure it wasn't the usual bright 'kill me' orange he liked, but it was still orange. It was a dark red-orange shade that would probably be less obnoxious if he were totally honest. Doc mutely rolled his eyes, having wanted the orange completely removed, while Venom grinned proudly.

"You's likes orange, I's makes orange!" the spider-minion stated with a nod. Naruto just smiled in response, he then looked around and walked to the nearby staircase.

"Uh where are you going?" Doc questioned. Naruto turned with a deadpan expression.

"To get dressed," he replied bluntly as he headed up to the private quarters. He then turned when he heard the minions approach and narrowed his eyes, "Stay!" he ordered and then continued on his way. As he went the minions glanced at one another, then focused on Espio.

"So did you learn anything new?" Doc questioned. Espio nodded.

"Women in that village are all unnaturally pretty," he replied, which got looks from the other minions.

"Okay," Doc responded unsurely. That was an interesting tidbit, sure, but it didn't actually tell him anything useful. "But did you learn anything helpful?" he questioned with a frown. Espio was silent for a moment then shook his head.

"Village secrets well hidden," he admitted with a frown. He'd tried to find any information on their master he could, but aside from the medical records he'd copied for Doc while Naruto slept, but he couldn't find anything.

"Well I suppose that can't really be helped," he murmured and then glanced at Ricket. "So did you or Venom learn anything about that armor?" he questioned. The femme-minion nodded her head.

"It's called 'Abyssal Armor' but 'ats 'bout it," she admitted. Doc frowned.

"Wait, how do you know that?" he questioned curiously. Ricket rolled her eyes.

"De bloody passive enchantment on it d'at lets ye know what it's called, thing still works fer some reason," she replied bluntly. Doc blinked in surprise and then scratched his head.

"Wait, as in the same one that's on basically every relic?" he questioned curiously, and the femme-minion nodded her head. Before he could question her further their master finally returned. As he walked down the stairs he idly raised the hood of his new clothes, which allowed his brightly glowing eyes to loom ominously in the shadows. He blinked as he saw Doc and the others then approached them silently.

He was now dressed in black pants with orange cords to hold them up, his usual dark blue Shinobi Sandals, a black high collared shirt, a grey facemask with black ties that were braided over his shoulder and ended with a metal ring, a plain knee-length red-orange colored tabard with a hood he'd raised over his head, with a thick brown belt with a skull shaped buckle worn overtop it.

He also had a black waist cincher on over the tabard and under the belt, with black forearm length wrist protectors and greaves and a metal skull emblem at the back of his fists on the wrist protectors. Naruto himself actually liked it as it kind of reminded him of Sylvanas-hime with the skulls and such on it. "Okay, I'll admit this is all pretty nice," Naruto admitted as he looked over his new gear.

"It certainly suits you sire," Doc remarked and Ricket nodded her head in agreement. "But unfortunately until we acquire a way to light the forge we won't be able to give you any weapons, enchanted or otherwise," the minion remarked. Naruto rolled his eyes as he pulled a pair of kunai out of the tabard and flipped them in his hands. "Aw yes, I suppose that'll have to do for the time being," Doc noted with a sigh.

He really didn't like the idea of sending the blond out under equipped, but it wasn't like that had much of a choice. They hadn't really thought to grab any of the weapons or armor from the castle-armory before they left after all. _'Well that's hindsight for you, plus not being a complete idiot anymore certainly makes things clearer,'_ the former jester noted to himself.

"So where do I have to go to get the forge lit?" Naruto questioned. The sooner he got this done the sooner he could get home and get to bed. Doc nodded and turned on his heel, then waved for the blond to follow.

"Follow me and I'll show you," he stated. Naruto did as bade, arms crossed over his chest while Espio, Ricket, and Venom followed the both of them. As they traveled down to the Heart Chamber Naruto noticed the now five 'Orange' minions had followed them as well. He then watched as Doc made a motion in front of the Dark-Heart and the skeletal drake wrapped around it opened its mouth and projected a map.

"Whoa," Naruto marveled and moved a hand through the image, "How's it doing that?" he asked curiously. Doc shrugged in response.

"Forgive me sire but I am not well versed in how magic works," he admitted. Naruto frowned then watched as Doc pointed to a small cave-system to the east of the tower. "Right there, I've been seen some traces of heat over there and the Dark-Heart senses magic coming from it," he explained. Naruto hummed in response then nodded his head.

"Right so I go out and find it, then bring it back, easy," he replied. However Espio shook his head.

"No, you take orange and white minions to bring it back," he stated. Naruto raised a brow and looked to Doc. The older minion inclined his head.

"We believe that since the White minions were previously reds, they would have to have at least a moderate level of heat resistance which would allow them able to pick whatever it is up, unlike yourself sire," he responded. Naruto grunted in response but did admit that they had a good point. He didn't want to go and burn his hands because he hadn't thought things threw after all.

"So are the minions ready?" Naruto questioned. Doc nodded his head and three bats flew down from the ceiling and bowed to Naruto. They then straightened up and joined the five Orange minions already behind the blond. "So this is everyone I need?" he questioned unsurely.

"Aye sire, feel free to head out whenever you want," Doc replied. Naruto nodded and then looked at the 'minions' warily. They were busily attacking one another and he wasn't really sure how he was supposed to command the little devils. That in mind he turned to Doc with a nervous smile beneath his facemask.

"Uh… do I just order these guys around?" he questioned. Espio looked at Doc with a frown.

"Didn't show him how to control minions?" he questioned incredulously. Doc winced and looked away with a shippish grin.

"It slipped my mind," he admitted. Espio twitched and then palmed his face while Ricket snickered to herself. Doc then cleared his throat and looked to Naruto seriously.

"Now master," he called and Naruto looked to him, "Pay attention sire, and I'll teach you the finer points of basic Minion command," he stated. He then paused to think over what he knew and then nodded his head. "First is forming a horde!" he declared. Naruto looked at him strangely. _'A horde? Like the one from Aseroth?'_ he wondered to himself while Doc pointed to the minions behind Naruto.

"First of all sire, raise your hand and concentrate on each individual minion," he stated. Naruto turned around then raised his left hand and concentrated on the five orange and three reds in question. Instantly they turned their attention to the blond and surged to stand behind him in a triangular formation. Naruto blinked in surprise while Doc grinned widely.

"Excellent work Sire," he praised and then threw his arm to the side. "Next, sweeping!" he declared dramatically. However Naruto looked at him with a deadpan expression.

"I don't think the tower needs to be cleaned," he noted bluntly. Doc blinked and then groaned to himself.

"No no no, I mean sweeping the minions," he replied, "it basically allows you to move your minions around wherever you want, sire," he explained. Naruto made an oh with his mouth, then wondered why he hadn't just said that. Doc then raised a hand, "To do so simply concentrate on your minions and then move them with your hand. Some can simply visualize what they want but the physical medium helps," he explained.

Naruto nodded slowly then looked to his left hand curiously. He then raised his hand and concentrated on his 'horde'. He then moved his hand from left to right and widened his eyes as the minions surged out, following each gesture as if it were a command. After a moment Naruto paused to look at his hand in surprise. _'Man Sylvanas-hime would kill to be able to do this,'_ he noted to himself then looked back to Doc.

"Very good sire," Doc declared, and then yelped as Espio came forward and shoved him to the side.

"Use Guard Marker next," he stated. Naruto just looked at him curiously in response. "Hold hand up, imagine banner, they stay still," he stated. The blond slowly nodded his head and then did as bade. He swept the minions a distance away and then imagined them holding a Forsaken Banner. It seemed to work as one of the minions somehow grabbed hold of the Banner and they all held in position.

' _How is it holding the,'_ Naruto started to question then decided he really didn't want to know… He then turned to Doc as he got back up and tripped Espio, knocking him onto his back as the older gray minion grinned at the blond.

"Next is recalling minions," he stated then yelped as Espio kicked him to the ground and lunged at him with a snarl. Naruto sweat dropped in response while the minions started to laugh insanely at the sight of the two grays fighting. As such Ricket rolled her eyes and turned to the blond instead.

"Ta get one, jus' raise ye 'and an' concentrate on one of 'em," she stated. Naruto nodded and then followed her simple instructions. Instantly an orange ran to him and stood behind him with a grin. Ricket nodded her head and then grinned. "Ta get 'em all back jus' raise ye 'and an' imagine a horn blowin'," she stated. Naruto blinked and then raised his hand high into the air and imagined the sound of a horn.

Instantly all the minions returned to him and formed up behind him.

"That's really all of the basics of minion command sire," Doc noted before he let out a cry as Espio punched him across the face. Naruto looked at the two worriedly but Ricket just shook her head in response.

"Dun worry 'bout 'em milord, dey'll be like 'at for a while," she stated with a shake of her head and leaned over to stage whisper to the blond. "Dose two 'ate each other like ye would'nay believe," she noted with a grin. _'Oh I think I have an idea,'_ Naruto noted to himself as he watched Espio try to strangle Doc. He then looked back to Ricket and sighed.

"I'm going out to find whatever it was the heart found out there," he stated with a nod to the stairs. He then looked to where Espio and Doc were and sighed. "Would you mind watching the map for me, Ricket?" he questioned. The minion grinned in response.

"I'm ye minion sire, I'll do whatever ye ask," she reminded him pointedly, then smirked, "But I'll certainly watch for ye," she replied with a curtsy. Naruto nodded and then turned to walk out of the Heart-Chamber with his horde at the ready. He then exited the tower and headed east, only to pause and close his eyes.

"Can you hear me back there, Ricket?" he questioned then waited a moment for a reply.

( _Aye sire,_ ) she replied in an echo-y voice. Naruto nodded slowly and then took a breath as he started out for the eastern caves. _'Here's hoping whatever I find isn't some kind of giant fire-monster or something,'_ he mentally pleaded. Given all the stories Sylvanas had told him of such creatures, he felt he was more than justified for a little wariness around any kind of magical fire…

00

(Eastern-Caves…)

Naruto traveled along the cliffs that held up his tower. Reaching the eastern caves had been relatively simple, the White-Minions had simply flown them over the chasm and they were off. Currently Naruto was walking through one of the many tunnels that made up the 'Underworld' he'd red about in the Black Book. He also made a mental note to read more about the place later.

Although he did admit that the silence of traveling to the caves had been a perfect time for him to just think. Mostly he wondered what Sylvanas would think of him when she got back, not to mention what she'd think of his new tower. _'Maybe she'll like it,'_ he considered to himself. It was definitely better than the cave she usually lived in whenever she was able to stay for prolonged periods of time after all.

( _Sire ye're approaching de edge of de map,_ ) Ricket suddenly sent to him over the link. Naurto came to a halt and raised his hand, the minions stopped behind him as well as he closed his eyes.

"So now what?" he questioned. Ricket hummed in response.

( _One sec, I need ta get Doc,_ ) she replied. Naruto raised a brow then silently groaned as he waited for the femme-minion to get the physician. He also wondered what Sylvanas would think of the minions. They were basically short extremely dumb or insane versions of the goblins after all. The few smart ones were rare and of those few Naruto noticed some odd… quirks…

( _Sire! Ricket said you needed me?_ ) Doc questioned. Naruto raised a brow in response.

"What happened to Espio?" he wondered. Given the beating that the spymaster was laying down on him the question bore asking.

( _Oh he's just a little 'tied up' right now,_ ) Doc responded. Naruto had a feeling that he really didn't want to know what the physician meant by that. So instead he focused on the task at hand.

"Ricket said I was at the end of the map," he stated. Doc hummed in response.

( _Aye, you'll need to send a pulse of your magic out to get us a better look at what's going on further into the caves,_ ) Doc remarked. Naruto hummed in response then placed one hand overtop the other and concentrated. A moment later a surge of chakra rushed out from his body and into the caves. ( _Just like that actually… um… very good,_ ) Doc replied unsurely. Naruto rolled his eyes and marched forward.

While Sylvanas hadn't taught him any spells, she had taught him a way to pulse his chakra. It was mostly so he could alert her if he was in trouble nearby or needed her assistance with something. The elf-woman had no chakra herself but she had managed to figure out Magic was extremely similar to Chakra. The biggest difference was the raw power Chakra had, but that wasn't always a boon…

( _Master, your target is up ahead… and it's moving?_ ) Doc noted in question. Naruto blinked and shook his head of his thoughts. He glanced back at his minions and then swept them ahead of him as he approached the mouth of a large cave. The blond then made a guard-marker as he approached, only to widen his eyes and sweep the minions out of the way of a fireball.

"Intruders!" he heard something squeak. He blinked and then looked around to see dozens of tiny balls of red light circling all around the cave. At the top center of the cave was even a larger ball of light that seemed to burn like fire. Naruto then swore as several more fireballs came at him and the minions. He rolled to the side while he swept the minions out of the way, only for one to scream as it was lit on fire.

"FIRE FIRE FIRE!" the minion exclaimed in pain. Naruto's eyes bolted and he internally ordered it to stop drop roll then looked around as more fireballs were sent hurtling at them.

"Burn the intruders!" another voice squeaked. Naruto also noted it let out a girlish giggle after it did and leaped behind a rock for cover. He then turned to keep an eye on his minions, moving them out of the way of the fireballs as they continued. Although the whites did seem to be fine regardless of what fireballs hit them. _'I really need more White minions,'_ he decided as he ducked beneath a stray fireball.

"Doc I need a way to get the orange minions out of here and more white minions to help!" Naruto stated swiftly. He heard an affirmative and watched as a gate opened up to the side. Naruto quickly swept his orange and white minions apart. He kept one hand on the whites and maneuvered them at the balls of crimson flames. The white minions flew up high enough to attack and crushed them between their hands.

After they died, the strange crimson balls of fire vanished while the minions moved on to the next ones. Meanwhile the orange minions vanished in a flash of sparks. ( _The orange Minions have returned sire! Although one is a bit crispy now,_ ) the physician noted. Naruto didn't care, instead he watched for the few White minions that came through the gate and swept them at another of the balls of fire.

"What the hell are these things Doc?" the blond demanded as he ducked back behind the rock to avoid another deluge of fireballs.

( _Oh… uh I think they're actually Flame Unseelie,_ ) he replied after a moment of thought.

"Unse-what now?" Naruto demanded. He then glanced out and kept his minions on the attack, rushing the balls of crimson fire. One of the balls of fire started to circle around the room and created a ring of fire that was swiftly joined by all the other little crimson balls of fire.

( _Dark Fairies,_ ) Doc replied. Naruto gaped incredulously at that bit of info. _'These things are supposed to be fairies?!'_ he internally demanded. He'd heard of fairies of course, but he'd never known they could be violent before! Usually any story he heard about them pictured them as playful tricksters, not as burn happy pyromaniacs!

"Kill kill kill!" another squeak came from the ring as it started to lower towards him. _'Shit,'_ the blond thought as he rolled out of the way. He then backed up as the flaming wheel started to close around him. _'Think, think, think, think, think!'_ he thought wildly. He then looked to the side and swept his Minions to form up around him and had them wrap their wings around him just as the wheel closed.

Naruto felt the heat of the fire wheel and heard it roar all around him, but did not burn as his minions prevented them from reaching him. _'I am so being nicer to these guys from now on,'_ Naruto decided with a shudder as the flames started to move by. As the flames finally passed the minions lashed out crushing several more of the fairies. The blond shook his head and tried to calm down, that had not been fun.

" _ **ENOUGH!"**_ a voice suddenly roared, the sound echoed off of the walls and made it hard to pinpoint where it actually came from. Naruto looked around then looked up as the large ball of crimson flames he noticed there earlier suddenly surged down to the ground. The smaller balls of fire surged to the larger one and started to circle all around the large ball while making odd twinkling sounds.

The larger ball seemed to pulse for a moment and then roared to life. It was encased in fire and Naruto stepped back as it shot towards him. He then raised his forearms as the ball of fire exploded in front of him. The flames licked at his forearms but where held at bay by his armor, so the blond slowly lowered his arms and blushed brightly. There before him was a tiny woman with her hands on her hips… and very little 'clothes'.

Regardless of her choice of clothing she had a basic human shape, looked relatively young with an athletic build, long wild red hair that was parted to frame her face, light orange skin, her eyes were as red as rubies with deep crimson eye shadow, long pointed ears, four horns two that curled up over her ears and two down under them, her lips were a naturally deep red, and her sharp toenails were a deep black in color.

She had four large wings that resembled those of a dragonfly yet shifted colors, going from red to orange to yellow to white and back again in a brilliant pattern. Funnily enough those wings gave off tiny sparks of flame that gave off a brilliant glow as they fluttered from them. Last of course were her… clothes… but Naruto couldn't actually call them 'clothes' since they barely covered anything.

It started with chitinous armor that looked like bicep length gloves and formed into claws at her fingers and a spike at her elbows, the chitinous armor was mirrored on her legs going down from mid-thigh down to her feet yet left her heels and toes bare with a spike at her knees, it also formed a sharp tiara and necklace, the last of the 'chitin' formed into segmented plates that wrapped around her breasts and hips into a small 'bikini'.

"Why do you invade this place intruder?" she demanded with a chitin-covered claw pointed at the blond. He blinked in surprise, still staring at the tiny woman whose body was basically on display anyways. _'Do all fairies look like this?'_ he briefly wondered to himself and then swiftly shook his head. He'd wonder if he had extremely hot tiny women all over the place later…

"Uh… you… I… I mean… and… um," he tried to say but was having issues forming a coherent sentence. What? He was looking at a hot girl, her skin was his favorite color, and she even had red hair! What wasn't there to like! Said tiny woman narrowed her ruby red eyes on the blond dangerously.

"Kori demands that the intruder explains!" the faerie declared hotly, her brilliant crimson hair literally lighting on fire as she did. _'Huh, well that really gives new meaning to the term hot head,'_ the blond noted to himself with a mental snicker. However 'Kori' frowned and then crossed her legs and leaned her fist into her cheek. It had the added benefit of making her lack of clothing less obvious.

"Speak stranger!" the tiny faerie demanded imperiously, " why do you invade the home of Kori and her people!" the faerie demanded of the blond.

( _Wait a second master, I smell something rotten and for once it's not a green!_ ) Doc suddenly stated. Naruto blinked and arched a brow.

' _What do you mean Doc?'_ he questioned.

( _Sire, look around and ask yourself, what is out of place with what she said?_ ) he replied and Naruto blinked. He then looked around the cave, took in its size and shape and all the scorch marks from their little fight. ( _Think sire, these faeries are basically made of fire, what isn't right about this room if they live here?_ ) the minion questioned. Naruto blinked and then narrowed his eyes as he saw that something was definitely wrong.

' _The walls… they're all perfectly intact, no signs of melted stone or anything,'_ the blond haired Dark-Lord in training remarked.

( _Aye sire! Correct! The Flame Unseelie's bodies are extraordinarily hot, in more than one way in fact, so the fact that nothing has melted mean that they haven't been here for very long, I'd say a week at best. Not to mention the smoothness of the walls… huh… something about that makes me worried,_ ) the minion noted. Naruto growled and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at the flaming faerie queen.

"Right, you want me to explain what I'm doing here?" he remarked. Kori blinked and then nodded her head.

"Yes, this is being what Kori has said," she replied. Naruto narrowed his eyes in response.

"So if that's the case how come nothing around here has melted?" he questioned with a frown, "Not to mention look how smooth all the walls are, it's like the place was smoothed down by rushing water or something," he noted flatly. Kori blinked at that and then started to look around warily. However both paused and then looked up at a dripping sound. They both saw drops of water falling from a crack in the ceiling…

( _Oh Sire I think I've figured out why they were at the ceiling before,_ ) Doc suddenly reported. Naruto blinked then noticed the crack at the ceiling start to move outwards.

"Might want to make it quick, Doc," he responded.

( _Well you see, that particular cave might actually be the source of the underground river, which I admit I noticed had dried up recently but didn't think much of it,_ ) he began with a hum, ( _As such it seems that the flame Unseelie came here and then closed it off in an attempt to make a home for themselves,_ ) Doc explained. Naruto felt his eyes widen as he heard a crack and then the water start to come out of the ceiling even faster.

"So then it's not a cave but a channel… and there's a ton of water up there," Naruto noted slowly as he looked at the cracking ceiling. It then dawned on him that the Flame Unseelie were on fire, they probably couldn't deal with water, and they had likely been the ones to close off the ceiling. Which they had most likely made themselves with what they had available, which was probably a thin layer of rock…

( _Given the amount of pressure built up since they closed it off, I'd say it's more like several thousand tons of water actually,_ ) Doc remarked candidly as Naruto twitched and then quickly swept his minions to the tower gate and ordered them through it.

"R-Right, and all of that is probably going to bust through whatever they put up there and come crashing down on top of us," he guessed and noticed that Kori just stared at the ceiling with wide eyes. _'Ugh… I can't just leave 'er,'_ he thought and palmed his face; _'curse my half kind heart,'_ he thought to himself. _'Plus she's hot, in more than the obvious way,'_ he admitted to himself.

( _Well yes, it's not like the Flame Unseelie could possibly close off a valve of running water, they're basically allergic to it, not to mention the kind of pressure that'd build up would shatter stone like… oh dear,_ ) Doc began and then screamed, ( _RUN SIRE! RUN!_ ) he exclaimed loudly. He then grabbed a surprised Kori and lunged for the gate himself. The tiny queen yelped while her people launched themselves after her and the blond.

Naruto leaped onto the Tower-Gate and vanished along with the Flame Unseelie just as the water busted through the ceiling and rushed through the tunnels…

00

(Under-Tower…)

Naruto appeared on the bridge to his tower again with his eyes closed. He slowly opened his eyes and then breathed a relieved sigh. However he then noticed the Flame Unseelie, which had surrounded him, had started to spin all around him like several wheels of fire. _'Crap, out from the water, into the inferno,'_ the blond thought to himself with wide eyes and then looked to his hands where he had Kori.

"Uh hey could you maybe tell your people not to burn me alive?" he asked, only to pause when he noticed how her eyes had started to burn, sparks idly falling from her eyes as she sniffled pitifully. "Uh… are you okay?" Naruto questioned as he lifted his hands and held his palms open. Yet the tiny faerie queen didn't fly away, just sat in his palms and her lip started to quiver. "Oh please no," Naruto murmured a moment before she started to cry.

Of course her 'tears' were just sparks of fire but he supposed that it still counted.

"Wait wait," Naruto tried to say as he lifted Kori up and then looked all around, "Oh please stop," he begged the tiny faerie, "I hate it when girls cry," he admitted and then groaned as the other Unseelie suddenly started to cry with their queen. _'Of course…'_ he thought to himself and groaned. He then sat down as the flame unseelie continued to sob uncontrollably alongside her little followers.

The blond just let the little faerie cry until she finally calmed down and wiped at her eyes with a pitiful expression on her face. Naruto looked at the tiny woman uncomfortably and then cleared his throat. "So… I'm gonna guess you didn't mean to nearly drown yourself or your people," he remarked. The faerie queen lowered her head.

"Kori was looking for home, but is not knowing where to find one," she admitted softly. Naruto raised a brow at that.

"Why were you looking for a home?" he questioned. He then paused and turned when he heard someone clear his or her throat. He saw Doc approach them from the tower with Espio and Ricket following in tow.

"I believe I can answer that for her sire," the gray replied. Naruto glanced down at Kori who sniffled, and he placed her on his shoulder and looked to his physician. "From what I can gather sire, Kori is an extraordinarily young queen sire, too young if I'm perfectly honest, so I'd assume that she recently ascended and was sent to start her own colony by her former queen," the gray explained.

Naruto glanced at Kori and she silently nodded with a sniff, the blond frowned and then turned back to his physician.

"Why would she be sent away?" he questioned. Espio decided to answer for the other gray.

"Lower population, less magic consumed," he explained. Naruto blinked and then looked to Doc who nodded his head.

"Faeries devour raw mana sire, if too many of them eat the magic in an area then the available mana will deplete entirely. Every now and again a Faerie colony has to send one of their own out to start a new colony," Doc explained with a shrug. Naruto frowned and looked to Kori who nodded her head. The blond frowned at the information and then looked back to Doc with a frown.

"So Kori's people need mana to survive," he murmured and then scratched his head, "But why would she try to make a home under all that water?" he questioned. Kori seemed to wilt and Doc chuckled nervously.

"Sire I said she was extraordinarily young, in so much as she's likely a child by Faerie standards," he replied. Naruto blinked, looked down at Kori, took note of how old she looked, and then turned to Doc incredulously as he held the flame unseelie up.

"This is supposed to be a child?" he all but demanded of the gray minion. Kori blinked then and then crossed her arms with a frown.

"Kori is not child! Kori is queen!" she declared with a nod. Naruto glanced at her strangely, since that had sounded… well… kind of childish if he were honest with himself. Doc chuckled nervously at that and then cleared his throat.

"A-Anyways sire, I believe that perhaps we should take this conversation inside," he remarked and turned on his heel. Ricket and Espio followed, one with a snicker while Naruto looked down to Kori. She sighed and nodded her head in acknowledgement as the blond got up and followed them, also followed by the young 'queen's' faerie followers. As he marched into the tower however, he saw the 'queen' brighten.

"Kori feels much magic here," she stated and then hopped into the air to flit around. She was followed by her many followers while Naruto watched them with a confused frown. He then glanced at Doc who had a sly smirk on his face.

"What's going on?" the blond questioned with a raised brow.

"Faeries feed on mana sire, this tower is built into a leyline and quite literally pumps out more than enough for them to feast on for the next… umm… well probably forever," he admitted with a shrug. He then crossed his arms while Naruto started to growl low in his throat. "We need a magical source of fire for the forge, those are Flame Unseelie, so they could light the forge," he began only for Ricket too whoop with joy.

"Finally finally!" she exclaimed. Naruto, Doc, and Espio all looked at her strangely as she then started to cackle madly. She then did several summersaults and almost started to bounce off of the walls from joy… _'Okay my minions are definitely insane,'_ Naruto decided as the femme-minion continued to act crazy. So instead of watching her do a little jig he turned back to Doc with a flat expression.

"So we're going to trick the creatures with the intelligence of little girls into being fire starters for us?" he growled out furiously. Given how innocent and clearly naïve these Faeries were he didn't feel any desire to trick them. To him it'd be like pulling a prank a baby, cruel and horribly misguided. These Faeries were too simple to really comprehend that they could be in danger!

"N-Now sire calm down," Doc stated placatingly with his wrists raised, "While yes we would have their aide, if we didn't offer them our own they would starve to death," the gray remarked. Naruto grunted and started to pace anxiously. He didn't like that at all, he didn't want to use their biological needs to force them into what would essentially be servitude after all.

"Isn't there any other place like this nearby?" he questioned. However Doc shook his head.

"Unfortunately with the rise of Chakra there was also a decline in mana across the lands sire. It's why you don't see faeries popping up in villages anymore, the more mundane ones simply can't eat chakra without… mutations," he admitted with a shudder. Some of the more deranged creatures they'd seen over the years had once been faeries. What they turned into had been very different…

"Wait, mundane?" Naruto questioned. It had felt almost out of place when he mentioned it after all.

"Aye, normal faeries, mundane is essentially another word for common, the queens can eat chakra and even physically bolsters them by quite a bit," he admitted. The faerie known as Queen Fey, one of Mathias' Fairchild's mistresses had been one such. How she'd managed to devour Chakra in that age he wasn't sure, but she'd somehow managed it and had thus been granted greater physical and mental abilities…

"So then they can't go anywhere up top because of all the ambient chakra?" Naruto questioned. Sylvanas had explained that there was a similar problem for spells. The Jutsu of a Shinobi often expelled smoke, that smoke was the excess chakra they released being expelled into the air. When it was expelled the Chakra started to seep into the air, the ground, even the animals causing any mana to be turned into more chakra…

It had apparently also caused the physical mutations of several animals, at least that was what Sylvanas had told him, whom he tended to listen too and believe whenever he didn't know something himself. Given that as a base Naruto could see the problem and why Faeries split up in this age. The Chakra being used by Shinobi was causing mana to dwindle up top, but in the underworld there hadn't been a human in centuries…

Wait…

"Is that why no Dwarves or Elves are still around?" he suddenly questioned. He had a bad feeling that might be the case, at least for the elves, if anything Chakra would've bolstered the dwarves…

"Somewhat, the Elves retreated to an island known as Everlight, while the Dwarves have sealed themselves in the Golden Hills. I have no idea if any of them are actually still there or if they've been twisted beyond recognition," Doc admitted then clicked his tongue, "But I do know that the rest of them interbreeded with the humans of these lands to a point that they basically no longer count as separate races," he explained with a shrug.

Naruto's eyebrows shot up in surprise at that tidbit; he then shook his head as Kori flew down with a grin.

"Kori is finding much mana! More than enough for tribe!" she stated cheerfully. Naruto frowned worriedly and then cleared his throat.

"Kori this is my home," he stated, the redheaded faerie blinked and then pouted. "But I'm willing to let you and your girls stay here, but my little friend Ricket," he paused to point at the redheaded minion. Both he and Kori then stared at her as she had started to hum a jaunty tune to herself. "Err… yeah, well she needs you and your girls to light and maintain the fires in her forge," he admitted.

He then yelped as Kori flew over to stand… hover… whatver… in front of him.

"Kori is fine with that," she admitted with a nod. She then sniffed at the air and all but hyper focused on the blond. "Your mana," she murmured and then flew into his hood. Naruto yelped and reached inside, only to look down as she crawled around in his clothes. He then blushed, as he felt the faerie start to move around under his clothes.

"Uh Kori! That is seriously not appropriate!" he shouted and the queen flew out of his clothes with a wide grin on her face.

"Wind Mana!" she exclaimed brightly with her arms raised above her head. Almost instantly the other faeries shot down and started to circle around the blond.

"Hey!" Naruto yelped as they started to crawl all over him as Kori had. "What the hell are they doing?" he demanded with a bright blush. "No! Get out of there you little pervs!" he snarled as he tried to catch the faeries… with exceedingly limited success. Espio laughed at the sight, holding his ribs and falling onto his back while Doc hummed to himself.

"I think she means that you have mana that's naturally attuned towards Wind Magic," he replied and then tapped his chin. Naruto was a bit too preoccupied with the invasion of his personal space to listen, especially once Kori started to do so as well. "That's rather ironic actually, as Flame Unseelie love wind mana, it's basically like candy to them and also has the added benefit of making them burn even hotter," the gray mused aloud.

He then noticed Naruto had fallen to ground and started to roll around in an attempt to get the flame-unseelie off of himself.

"Get off of me!" Naruto roared at the faeries. Doc sweat dropped at the sight and shook his head.

"Sire they won't, you're literally a living candy store to them," he remarked. However Naruto then focused on Kori and caught her and yanked her out of his clothes with narrowed eyes.

"Kori your people can't eat my mana!" he stated. She frowned and looked at him petulantly.

"Why not?" she questioned flatly. Naruto twitched and then palmed his face. _'Oh yes… she's definitely a child!'_ he thought with a growl. It didn't matter if she had the body of an ad… well she looked more like a teenager really, but even so it was plainly clear to him that she had the brain of a little girl! He then recalled what Doc had explained to him earlier and widened his eyes.

"Kori I have Chakra not mana! They'll mutate if they eat it!" he snarled at her. Kori's eyes widened at that and she looked up and made a sound Naruto didn't recognize. All at once the Flame Unseelie leaped off of him and flew into the air. The blond haired youth breathed a sigh of relief and sat up. _'That was way too strange,'_ he thought while he released Kori from his grasp. She then hummed, tapped her chin, and nodded her head.

"You are Kori's master now," she stated plainly. Naruto blinked in confusion.

"What?" he questioned. However Kori then seemed to spin around the blond and a tail of blue-violet energy was pulled off of him. Naruto watched in shock as Kori then shot into the air and wrapped the energy around her body. She gave a brief shudder and moan, as she seemed to grow, going from a few inches tall to nearly a foot. Naruto's eyes bolted as she then mumbled something under her breath and spread a blue light into the air.

The other faires shot down and started to collect the light, pulling it into their bodies and growing larger and glowing brighter as they did. Naruto blinked owlishly as they did while Kori flew over to sit on Naruto's shoulder, then looked down and began to glow. He body burned bright blue for a moment before she returned to her smaller size and smiled up at him cheerfully.

"Kori is hoping master is taking good care of her," she stated and then leaped into his hood. Naruto blinked yet again and then looked to Doc. The gray in question was somewhere between amused and shocked by what happened. Espio on the other hand was laughing even harder, literally pounding the floor with laughter. Naruto felt his eye twitch and took a deep breath, then narrowed his eyes on his Gray-Minions.

"What the fuck just happened?" he demanded. Doc blinked and then shook his head.

"I… I believe Kori just made herself your familiar," the minion replied and then hummed, "Which actually makes sense, as a queen Kori can absorb your chakra, then she just needs to divide the chakra into its base components, then send her people the wind mana so they can eat their hearts content," the gray murmured more to himself. However Naruto twitched and then palmed his face.

"Great," he muttered then sighed, "what's a familiar do exactly?" he then questioned. Doc shrugged.

"Well the most obvious change is that Kori will now specifically and only eat your Mana, well Chakra in this case. Otherwise it depends on the familiar, some large ones act as mounts, the smaller ones typically as simple pets, and succubae… uh well, you can probably imagine," the gray replied. Naruto could imagine, he could also imagine more than a few perverts dreamed of having a Succubae as a familiar…

"Faeries specifically Doc," he stated flatly. Doc nodded and then clicked his tongue as he thought, but it was Espio who finally answer.

"Act as quick spell," he replied. He then snickered to himself while Naruto raised a brow.

"Quick spell?" he questioned. Doc nodded his head.

"A Flame Unseelie will specifically know all the spells from the fire-branch of magic sire, because Kori is attuned to your mana now she can literally cast any fire spell you want, so long as you have the mana for it of course," the minion replied. Naruto blinked at that tidbit then slowly had an idea of the hell he could quite literally rain down with that… he was very aware of the ridiculously large reserves of Chakra he had after all…

"Right," he murmured thoughtfully and then looked to the side of his hood where Kori had laid herself. "Kori, how about we show you and your people to the forge to get it lit," he suggested. The tiny redhead blinked up at him and then nodded her head in agreement. With that Naruto got back up and then made his way to the forge with the Flame Unseelie, his grays, and a jubilant Ricket in tow…

00

 _ **TBC**_ …

 **AN** : Well I hope this answers all the question a lot of you have asked on whether or not I'd be rewriting the 'Dark Lord' story. I'm doing so because I had WAY too many crossovers in the DLP version, and this one is going to be a little closer to the original Dark Lord with Naruto learning Shinobi stuff at the academy while also occasionally doing things in the Underworld like he did in DLP. Think of it as a combination of aspects of both versions of the stories.

Now fair warning just so everyone knows: _**I WILL NOT BE UPDATING THIS STORY REGULARLY!**_ I only posted this chapter because I've received so many questions on whether or not this story would be released. As such I made this chapter exceptionally long, but don't expect more anytime soon as a result. I will as such be returning to Red-X Redux for the foreseeable future after this.

Just an FYI all the 'New' Minion Tribes that Naruto has exclusive command over are actually based on the 'New' Gremlins from Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Given how the Minions were originally inspired by the Gremlins, this felt like a very appropriate new batch for Naruto to have control over. I will also admit that I had a reviewer in one of the original stories suggest using the gremlins from The New Batch as new Minion tribes, the idea just spoke to me and I ran with it entirely.

Gray Minions: Based on the 'Brain' Gremlin.

Black Minions: Based on the 'Spider-Taur' Gremlin AKA Mohawk.

White Minions: Based on the 'Bat' Gremlin.

Orange Minions: Based on the 'Vegetable / Plant' Gremlin.

Violet Minions: Based on the 'Living Lightning' Gremlin.

Ricket: Kind of Based on 'Greta' but also a character from Followship of Evil.

Dark-Green Yellow-Striped 'Minions': Based on The Generic Gremlins!

00

OMAKE

00

(Underworld, Ravine…)

It was a rare thing for Naruto to travel alone. Well not totally alone as he had Kori sleeping in her Faerie satchel with him. Today was one such day where he wanted to be alone and go for a walk. Not a simple walk however as Tenten had stated he never just went on walks since his last one ended with a lot of bodies… He had of course told her that he liked to go on very 'Enthusiastic Walks'.

The sixteen-year-old once blond abyss dragon aspect and lord of the Underworld chuckled to himself in response. He then sighed and breathed in the cool fresh air of the Ravine. He had chosen to journey to the Ravine, home of the Slimes, because he wanted to clean out his scales. As it turned out Slimes could dissolve the gunk that got between his scales, or any scales really, he knew for a fact the Lizard-Men had made a spa with the things for their people and the Naga…

' _But that would involve way too many Naga,'_ Naruto thought with a blush. He liked the Naga, but they were way too 'sensual' for him to be around. He was still of the opinion that he wasn't a pervert, despite Kori and some of his other allies best efforts. He didn't want that to change by going to ogle the hot snake women, or even the lizard woman, or whatever else was down at those spas at the time…

Naruto paused his thoughts and gave a sudden cry as he slipped and fell into a hole. He swiftly grabbed the sides of the hole only to yelp as he continued to slip. _'Fucking ice!'_ he thought as he fell into the depths. He saw the bottom approach and passed through a field of light that burned so bright it nearly blinded him. _'Kami it's a good thing I'm not a drow!'_ he thought as he passed through the light.

He fell out into a large chamber and gave a groan while he grasped the side of his head. He blinked his dragonic blue-violet eyes a few times and then stood up. He was in a large chamber he'd plainly never seen before. "Where am I?" Naruto wondered to himself and then closed his eyes. "Doc, Shin, Espio… can anyone hear me?" he questioned. However his link to the tower was… distant.

Thankfully he could tell it wasn't cut, just stretched so far that he couldn't quite reach them. _'Probably take a bit for them to hear me,'_ he decided with a frown. With that in mind he started to make his way through the chamber curiously. Over the years Naruto had grown accustomed to his Underworld, that there was still things he hadn't seen or found was actually rather exciting.

"Master, what happened?" a voice came. He then glanced to the side as Kori sleepily flew out of the faerie satchel. She then flew up to sit on his shoulder with a tired yawn. "Kori's slumber was disturbed," she remarked. Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that Kori, I fell down a hole," he responded. Kori blinked then looked up, then frowned at Naruto.

"Wings," she stated. Naruto raised a brow for a moment then paused and palmed his face with a groan. The dragonic wings on his back drooped and he then started to hit himself in the face as Kori giggled into a hand.

"Stupid stupid stupid!" he growled and then exhaled a breath. "Ugh, why is it so hard to remember that I have wings?" he wondered to himself. Kori shrugged her shoulders; she'd never forgotten her wings. Then again she'd also had her wings for as long as she could remember. Naruto's were relatively 'new' by comparison. Both Naruto and Kori paused their thoughts as they heard a shrill shriek from a nearby tunnel.

"Bonnie!" they heard. Naruto glanced to Kori and she flew back into the faerie satchel while the blond ran into the nearest tunnel. His pointed ears twitched as he tried to catch the sound of a voice. Eventually he turned down a tunnel and then slid to a halt when he saw a woman. However his eyes narrowed on her warily.

She was a tall and lanky teenager, with shoulder length black hair, deep red eyes, light grey skin, and pointed ears, but it was the bight marks on her neck and protruding fangs that really worried him. He'd had more than his fair share of encounters with vampires. He also couldn't help but notice the girl was extremely… well… thin. His 'Jiraiya' senses told him she was between a high A to low B too, but with really great legs.

She wore a tan muscle shirt, a pair of dark brown pants, a beat up old grey trench coat with wraps around her hands and beat up brown boots. Naruto also paid close attention to the large, not to mention intimidating, crimson red battleaxe she carried on her back. He also took note she was floating, a rare power for a Vampire but not unheard of, and she seemed frantic as she fidgeted around a large pile of slime…

Naruto narrowed his eyes and slowly approached the girl from behind. In his defense his 'relationship' with the Vampires was always spotty at the absolute best. The last time he'd tried to deal with them he'd had to kill their queen. Admittedly, the evil, not to mention vain, bitch once known as Pryor had caused him a few headaches, she'd also aided in the destruction of Uzushiogakure…

"You do realize I can smell you right," the girl suddenly stated. And Naruto was briefly fascinated by her voice. It was low yet wasn't deep, it was also feminine yet not shrill, it was a nice voice actually. Naruto had the distinct feeling the girl had a singing voice that would make a few songstresses he knew envious. He also noticed she had her eyes fixed on him and he slowly raised his wrists.

"Easy," he warned and circled to the side. The girl did the same, keeping him in sight while she brushed a scuff off of her cheek.

"So what are you supposed to be?" the girl questioned slowly. Naruto arched a brow, and then rolled his eyes. He admitted his particular combination of physical features was… a bit rare, but it still should've been obvious.

"Reincarnated Dragon Aspect and Dark Lord," he stated, the gray girl was genuinely surprised by that and it showed on her face. "You?" he questioned. The gray girl smirked and gave a mocking bow as she hovered in the air.

"Half-Demon Vampire Queen," she replied with a fanged grin. Naruto hummed and then came to a stop; he then glanced back at the huge puddle of slime, which twitched and had an odd pink center, then glanced up and saw a sinkhole above them. _'Some of the slimes must've fallen down from the ceiling, probably why she shrieked earlier,'_ he noted to himself and then turned his gaze back to the girl.

"The last Vampire queen I met ended up dead," he stated bluntly. He also saw the girl's lips curl in irritation.

"Honestly wish I could've helped kill her," she admitted. Naruto raised a brow and she crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't really like Vampires, only reason I am one is because one decided to be a dick and made me a Vampire as I killed it," she explained with a scowl. It was clearly a sore subject; especially given the way her eyes flared bright red. Naruto idly nodded his head then crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yet you pronounce yourself a queen," he remarked. The girl rolled her eyes in response.

"Marceline the Vampire Queen just has a really nice ring to it," she replied. The blond blinked and then nodded his head in agreement. It did have a nice ring to it, better than if she were 'Vampire Lady' or something… "So does the 'Dark Lord'," she began then snorted and giggled into her hand, "have an actual name?" she questioned after she calmed herself. Naruto frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"Naruto," he replied. She tilted her head and scratched at her hair.

"That's kind of awkward to say," she remarked. Naruto just felt his brow twitch.

"So are we fighting or what?" he questioned. The vampire-queen seemed to consider it as she sat in midair and tapped her chin. She then clicked her forked tongue and looked at him with a frown.

"Well, you see I had a friend with me a little while ago," she began, Naruto frowned, _'Why does this feel like a fetch quest is coming?'_ he wondered to himself. "But then this green sludge stuff fell on her," Marceline noted with a genuinely worried frown. Naruto blinked and then turned his head to look at the puddle of slimes… He grimaced and turned back to Marceline and pointed back with a thumb.

"I'mma guess that's her," he remarked. Marceline nodded and started to fidget.

"Yeah, so could you like check on her for me?" she questioned. Naruto raised a brow and she growled. "Look I'd do it myself but I'd dissolve in the stuff!" she stated with a frown. Naruto hummed in response and then started taking off his gauntlets and greaves, as well as the other things he wore with them. Once they were off he walked into the slime and started to reach into the mess of pink.

"You know, it's kind of weird but I was actually coming down to bathe in these things earlier," he admitted as he fished a pink sweater out of the slime and tossed it to the side. Marceline flew over to look at it and then flew over and hovered over the Dark Lord as he continued to fish bits of her friend out of the slimes.

"Why?" she questioned with a frown. Naruto paused to raise his slime-covered arm. Marceline looked at it and noticed it was… "Huh, it's really shiny now," she remarked and Naruto nodded his head.

"Yeah, funny story but Slimes love to eat the gunk that builds up in the scales of reptilian races like Lizard-men or Naga or Dragons. It not only makes them shiny but eases this nasty itch we get when too much of that gunk builds up," he replied with a shrug. Marceline slowly nodded her head in understanding, then backed up as Naruto had fished a pair of glasses out of the slime…

"Uh… I think she's completely dissolved," the Dark Lord noted with wide eyes. Marceline started to twitch and then shook her head.

"Just keep looking!" she insisted frantically. Naruto grunted but did as bade and started to fish more bits out of the slime… which include more clothes and eventually a skull and some other bones…

"Yeah, definitely dissolved," he remarked with wide eyes. The skull was approximately the right size for a teenager, as were the other bones actually, most likely a girl like Marceline herself. He only knew that because Sylvanas had been training him in a bit of Necromancy. It also explained all the pink clothes he'd been fishing out of the slime thus far. Sure some guys wore pink, but the sheer amount he'd fished out…

"Oh no, Bonnie, you can't be gone too," Marceline whispered as she started to circle around the slime pit. Naruto glanced at her for a moment then brushed off his talons and flapped his wings to rise out of the slime pit and into the air… then looked down as a pink arm grabbed at his leg. He then widened his eyes as a vague approximation of a woman made of pink slime pulled itself up out of the rest of the slime with him.

"Uh… was she always a Pink Slime?" he questioned with wide eyes. Marceline slowly shook her head in the negative, gaping in wide-eyed shock with the young Dark lord. Meanwhile the slime woman swung herself to the side then flopped out of the green mess and then slowly started to take a definitive shape. Soon the shape 'solidified' and a woman with pink skin and clumped together hair formed.

"B-Bonnie?" Marceline questioned. The pink slime woman stood on shaky legs and turned to them. Naruto blushed brightly then covered his eyes, which caused Marceline to snort. "Dude, are you really that much of a prude?" she questioned incredulously.

"I have an undead high elf ranger for a mother," he deadpanned. Marceline paused and then shuddered.

"Right, so I guess that means no fun times for you then," she guessed. Naruto shot a dark look at the Vampire queen who snickered to herself then looked back to the pink woman. She was roughly the same height as Marceline and that was it, she had fuller breasts and hips, and a heart shaped face with dark pink eyes and ridiculously long dark pink hair, long eyelashes, full lips, and light pink 'skin', all of which were made entirely out of semi-transparent pink slime.

"Wait just a minute," Marceline began and then narrowed her eyes, "Did you do that on purpose just to make yourself a hotter body!?" she demanded incredulously. The 'woman' blinked and then glanced down at her body and grinned.

"Wunderbar! Ich habe einen korper wieder!" she declared as she flexed her fingers. However she then grasped at her throat and frowned deeply. "Meine stimme ist falsch," she noted. Naruto stared at her dubiously while Marceline raised a brow.

"Wow, Bonnie's really not paying us any attention if she's speaking her native tongue," the 'Vampire Queen' muttered under her breath. She then watched the pink 'slime-woman' stumble around, before she found a smooth stone and sat down with a frown.

"Ist mein hals nicht in ordnung? Oder meine voice-box? Etwas ist falsch!" she continued to mutter to herself in a rather harsh sounding language. Not quite as harsh as Orkish or Dwaven… actually it did kind of resemble Dwarven. At least it was fairly close to dwarven in his opinion but not quite all the same.

"Should we… should we go?" Naruto questioned unsurely. He hadn't encountered a sapient slime before. Usually they were alive but not capable of rational thought, let alone changing themselves into a humanoid body! "Also, how did she survive being dissolved!?" the Dark Lord all but demanded of the Vampire Queen.

"Got me, maybe Bonnie's just too stubborn to let a bunch of slimes up and kill her I guess," the vampire queen replied with a shrug. Which wasn't outside the realm of possibility in Marceline's opinion. Bonnie was ridiculously stubborn at the best of times, the term hardheaded was especially apt with the once woman. She then frowned as a thought occurred to her and she looked to Naruto.

"Hey does she still count as a girl?" she questioned. Naruto looked at her askance.

"I…" he began then paused, "Actually I don't know," he admitted with a blink. It wasn't like this had a precedent after all… "I mean, probably if she at least still thinks of herself as one," he remarked with a shrug. Marceline hummed and then looked to the pink woman as she looked down at her legs.

"Meine beine funktionieren nicht richtig. Ist mein gleichgewicht nicht in ordnung? Vielleicht ist mein mangel an muskeln," she murmured to herself with a frown. Naruto looked to Marceline curiously.

"You understand a word of that?" he questioned. The Vampire Queen snorted in response.

"Don't look at me, I never wanted cared enough to know what she said when she started talking like that," she replied. Naruto frowned as a result then slowly flapped his wings and landed back on the ground. He caused a thump, which the pink slime woman took note of and looked to him with a blink.

"Hallo wer bist du?" she questioned. Naruto scratched his head in response.

"Uh, do you speak High Elf?" he questioned in the elven tongue. The pink woman stared at him, clearly lost, and he grunted, "Ork maybe?" he tried in the much harsher language but she continued to stare, "Fine, do you speak any basic then?" he demanded. The pink woman blinked and then nodded her head.

"Yes, quite fluently actually," she replied, "Although I find it odd you didn't try that first given you spoke to Marceline with it," she remarked. Naruto idly noticed that she had a voice that vaguely reminded him of Kori… if Kori was smarter anyways. No offense to his longtime familiar but she wasn't the sharpest kunai out there. Still he folded his wings on his back and rolled his eyes as he gazed at the pink girl.

"Kind of wanted to show off a bit," he admitted. Marceline snorted and then snickered into her hands while the Pink Woman frowned.

"I see," she remarked and then started to study her limbs.

"So any idea how you're still… well alive for one thing," Naruto questioned of the pink girl, "I've seen Slimes eat through steel before after all," he remarked with a shudder. It was especially worrying as few ever considered Slimes as much of a threat. But when you got thousands of them together it was truly terrifying…

"I believe it had something to do with this," the woman remarked as she pulled her chest open to reveal an odd amulet inside her. "Supposedly it's a 'life preserving amulet', but since my body was dissolved and became part of the slimes I was 'preserved' as a slime," she noted and then hummed. "Which makes me wonder if I can be classified as human, half human, or slime?" she wondered with a tap of her chin.

As she did Marceline floated over to her and wrapped her arms around the girl's shoulders.

"Well whatever it makes you, you certainly went to a lot of trouble to make yourself sexy for some reason," she noted. The pink girl shot a look at Marceline then glanced down at her body and crossed her arms.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Marceline," she stated, "I was merely curious and began experimenting with what I can and cannot change about my new form," she explained while Marceline grinned.

"And you chose a super sexy body why?" she questioned. The pink girl blushed in response.

"N-No reason," she replied quickly. Naruto raised a brow at the girls' antics and then cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Well ladies as pleasant as all this is," he began and then started putting his bracers and greaves and other affects back on. "I've got to get going back to my tower," he noted and then began to walk off, only for Marceline to zip in front of him and block his way.

"Hey whoa there! No need to split, just chill out and hang for a bit," the girl ordered and then looked at her friend, "Give Bonnie a minute to get used to her new self and we'll come with," she stated. Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Why?" he questioned. Marceline smirked in response.

"Cause Princess Bubblegum over there probably needs to get used to her new legs before we leave," she replied. Naruto scoffed.

"No, why would I bring you with me?" he demanded. The vampire queen just grinned disarmingly.

"Maybe cause Bonnie could use some new clothes and I doubt you'd leave two poor girls stranded down here," she replied innocently. Naruto twitched and then cursed his half-kind heart for the millionth time since he'd become Dark Lord. Meanwhile the pink girl frowned in their direction and crossed her arms over her chest.

"First of all I'm slime, why would I need clothes? Second, I don't have anything to covered," she noted. Naruto and Marceline looked at her with deadpan expressions. She blinked and then looked down at herself, then frowned. "No seriously, I don't see anything wrong! I'm a blob of slime in a humanoid shape!" she exclaimed then blew a breath into her 'hair'. "Lastly we are so not calling me that!" she insisted; however Marceline gave her a look.

"You're a pink gooey woman, why not?" she quipped playfully.

"Because it's disgusting! Gum is only gooey after someone's already chewed it up!" 'Bonnie' replied with a frown. Marceline rolled her eyes and started to lie on her belly in the air, her hand against her cheek.

"Slime Princess then," she offered. However Bonnie narrowed her eyes in response.

"No," she growled. Naruto suddenly smirked and looked at her mischievously.

"Slime Queen," he remarked and Marceline giggled and nodded her head.

"NO!" Bonnie snarled at them. However the two pranksters grinned at one another.

"Pretty in pink," Naruto offered then high fived Marceline. Bonnie's eyebrow twitched and she glared at the two.

"The fair lady Bonbon," Marceline remarked with an overly dramatic bow. Naruto snickered into his hand and then grinned brightly.

"Peebles!" he offered and Marceline nodded her head.

"Yeah good one," she agreed while Bonnie started to grind her teeth together.

"Are you two quite done?" said pink slime-girl demanded of them. The snickering pranksters glanced at one another and shook their heads. Marceline shook her head then grinned widely and her eyes practically sparkled.

"I got it, Science Princess!" she offered. Bonnie made to argue then paused and actually considered it. Marceline laughed at that and held her sides. "Spirits Bonnie I wasn't being serious!" she exclaimed laughingly. Naruto shook his head at her antics and then sighed.

"Alright that's enough," he stated with a placating wave of his hands, "Can we focus now ladies," he pleaded. He liked a joke and a prank as much as the next guy, but there was unfortunately a time and a place for it. Now was unfortunately not such a time. Both girls glanced at him curiously and Bonnie nodded her head.

"Yes, finally someone with their priorities straight," she remarked and then stood up. She yelped as she nearly fell face forward and held out her arms to balance herself. "Perhaps I should've focused more on function," she muttered to herself as she looked down at her body with a frown, then looked back to the young lord. "Although I am curious about what you are exactly," she admitted with a curious frown. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Reincarnated Dragon Aspect and Dark Lord," he replied bluntly. Bonnie blinked and then grinned widely at that information.

"Wunderbar!" she exclaimed and clasped her hands together. "I've always wondered how a humanoid dragon differs from their more mundane relatives," she admitted with a nod then looked to the confused youth, "aside from the obvious intelligence of course," she added and he looked at her strangely. Was that a compliment? "Would you happen to be a high born or low born?" she questioned. He scowled.

"I'm an aspect, we don't get any higher than that," he growled. Bonnie nodded happily and then hummed.

"How many of your species is there currently?" she questioned and he twitched.

"I'm literally the only one and due to reincarnating whenever I die I'm functionally immortal," he deadpanned. Technically his subconscious was the only real immortal part of him but that was just semantics in his opinion. Marceline looked at him in surprise while Bonnie grinned even wider.

"Excellent!" she declared with a clap of her hands. "Do you breath fire or lightning or magic or something else?" she questioned eagerly. He arched a brow and looked to Marceline instead.

"Is she always like this?" he questioned. Marceline rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"Should've seen her when she first met me," she remarked. Bonnie then cleared her throat with a frown and Naruto grunted. Why did he always find himself around bossy pink haired girls? Still he answered the slime-girl with a tired sigh.

"I breathe a corrosive miasma," he admitted with a sigh. Bonnie nodded her head and then blinked.

"How's your eyesight?" she wondered. Naruto hummed in response.

"Average during the day, perfect at night, and telescopic like a hawk," he replied then frowned, "Everything is a little blurry in twilight though," he admitted. It'd been one of the only drawbacks to his dragon eyes. He didn't really mind all that much though, blurry did not mean outright blind.

Bonnie however just stared at him as she started to get a decent picture of what kind of dragon she was dealing with right now, as did a shocked Marceline. Neither of them was sure they liked the idea they had though. "How durable are your scales? Also what kind of magic resistance do they have?" she questioned. The blond frowned in response and scratched at his head. He'd actually never tested that; it was kind of pointless after all.

"To be honest I really don't know how durable they are," he admitted with a shrug, "But magic kind of slides off of me since my scales fully developed," he mused aloud. Bonnie clicked her tongue and tapped her cheek as she looked at the young dark lord. However both stopped as Marceline groaned and looked at them while holding her stomach.

"C'mon you guys, can we please just go already?" she pleaded and sighed, "I'm really starting to get hungry," she stated as she rubbed her stomach. Naruto felt his brow twitch and then nodded his head in agreement. One, he didn't want to answer more of Bonnie's questions. Two, he really didn't want to fend off another hungry Vampire. That said he walked over to Bonnie and placed a hand on her shoulder.

The pink slime-girl stared at him with a frown while he waved Marceline over. The Vampire queen shrugged then floated over to stand beside them as he also placed a hand on her shoulder. He then looked at both women curiously. "Ready girls?" he questioned. They looked to one another strangely then nodded their heads and he grinned. " _ **Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu! (Reverse Summoning Technique!)**_ " the blond declared as all three vanished in a plume of smoke…

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OMAKE END

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Just a little something I felt you guys might like. I might consider having this become cannon with the main story, or turn it into a little side-story that appears in omakes at the end of each chapter if your reception of it leans more that way. Either way please give me your honest opinion of this silly little Omake I created, mostly for my own amusement. Until the next update… which will likely be many months from now, Alon-sy!


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